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CBS News
19 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Former Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel recommended for parole after decades in prison for 1969 murders
LOS ANGELES – Former Charles Manson follower and California's longest-serving female inmate Patricia Krenwinkel was recommended for parole after serving more than five decades for multiple killings in 1969, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. Krenwinkel, now 77, was first recommended for parole three years ago, but California Governor Gavin Newsom blocked her parole, saying she was too much of a public safety risk. Following Friday's recommendation to be granted parole, the case will be reviewed by California's Board of Parole Hearings and Newsom, which can take up to nearly five months. She was received on California's death row from Los Angeles County in 1971 for seven counts of first-degree murder. Then, in 1972, the state's death penalty was ruled unconstitutional. She was denied parole over a dozen times before the 2022 recommendation. Krenwinkel met Manson when she was 19. She previously stated that she left everything behind to follow Manson because she believed she might have a romantic relationship with the then 33-year-old. In a 2016 parole hearing, she said Manson physically and emotionally abused her and trafficked her to others for sex. She then escaped twice but was brought back, rarely left alone and usually under the influence. Krenwinkel was convicted of the killing of actress Sharon Tate and her unborn baby on Aug. 8, 1969, at a Beverly Hills home. Tate's body was found with a rope around her neck and wrapped around the body of a man. In that same 2016 hearing, Krenwinkel said she repeatedly stabbed 26-year-old Abigail Folger at Tate's home the following day. Then, the next night, she said Manson and Charles "Tex" Watson told her to do "something witchy." So Krenwinkel helped stab and kill grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. She then took a rag and wrote "Helter Skelter," "Rise," and "Death to Pigs" on the walls with his blood. Laslie Van Houten was sentenced for her role in the killings of the LaBiancas, but was released in 2023. Susan Atkins, who also participated in the Tate's murder, died from cancer in prison in 2009. Watson, who was convicted in five killings, remains in prison and has been denied parole several times. Manson died at 83 after serving more than 45 years.
Reuters
2 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Manson 'family' follower Patricia Krenwinkel recommenced for parole
LOS ANGELES, May 30 (Reuters) - A California prisons panel on Friday recommended that Patricia Krenwinkel, serving a life sentence for her role in murdering seven people in a 1969 Los Angeles killing spree by followers of cult leader Charles Manson, be released on parole. The state Board of Parole Hearings found that Krenwinkel, 77, the longest-serving female inmate in California prisons, posed little risk of reoffending based on her age and a spotless behavior record while incarcerated, according to the CBS News affiliate in San Diego, KFMP-TV. The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed the finding of parole suitability, which came on Krenwinkel's 16th parole hearing, but gave no further details. The decision amounts to a proposal subject to review by the full state Board of Parole Hearings and the California governor for up to 150 days before it can become final. Even if the full board affirms the finding of parole suitability, the governor could reject it or send it back for further review. A May 2022 parole board panel recommendation to free Krenwinkel was reversed by Governor Gavin Newsom in August of that year. Krenwinkel, incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, appeared with her lawyer during Friday's four-hour hearing but did not address the commissioners, KFMP reported. Several victims' family members spoke in opposition to her release. Krenwinkel was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder in 1971 for participating in a bloody two-night rampage whose victims included actress Sharon Tate, the 26-year-old wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski. Tate, then eight months pregnant, was slain with four friends, among them coffee heiress Abigail Folger and hairstylist Jay Sebring, at the rented hillside house the actress and Polanski shared in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles. Polanski was in Europe at the time. The following night grocery owner Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were stabbed to death in their home, where the words "Death to Pigs" and "Healter Skelter," a misspelled reference to the Beatles song "Helter Skelter," were found scrawled in the victims' blood at the crime scene. Although Manson did not personally kill any of the seven victims, he was found guilty of ordering their murders as part of a delusional plot to ignite a race war. He, Krenwinkel and other members of his so-called "family" of hippies, runaways and misfits, including Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins and "Tex" Watson, were originally sentenced to death. Their sentences were commuted to life in prison after the California Supreme Court abolished capital punishment in the state in 1972. Manson died in prison at age 83 in 2017. Van Houten was released from prison on parole in 2023 after spending 53 years behind bars. Newsom had rejected her parole recommendation but was overruled by a California appeals court. The governor could have petitioned the state Supreme Court to review the case but opted not to, deciding that further efforts to keep Van Houten locked up were unlikely to succeed.
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trans athlete qualifies for California girls' track and field state championship amid federal investigation
A biologically male trans athlete will compete for the girls' long jump and triple jump state championship in California next week. The trans athlete finished in first place in both events at Saturday's California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Track Championship Masters Qualifiers. In triple jump, the athlete won with a distance of 40-04.75, while the runner up only reached 39-06.00. In long jump, the trans athlete's margin of victory was shorter, reaching 19-03.50 while the runner-up managed 19-00.75. During the long jump medal ceremony, the athlete who finished in third place did not show up and accept the third place medal next to the trans athlete. No reason has been given. The second-place finisher received a noticeably vocal applause. Tracy Howton, a local parent of an athlete who competes in track and field, attended the event Saturday and had to witness what is becoming a regular site for her and others in the community. "As the parent of a female jumper, we have watched this happen at the last three track meets. Today we watched incredible female athletes lose their opportunities to go to states to a biological male. I can't imagine how devastating it would feel to work so hard and then be unfairly stripped of your opportunity to compete at states. It's heartbreaking," Howton told Fox News Digital. "Governor Newsom, our California elected officials and the CIF are failing our girls. It's that simple. They owe the competitive female athletes of California representation. They owe them responsible decisions based on science and fundamental truth. For our family, this experience has reinforced just how important it is to use your voice to stand up for truth, remembering that bad decisions can be corrected." The CIF has been at the center of a national controversy in recent weeks as the trans athlete has dominated the girls' track and field postseason. The situation has become so volatile that President Donald Trump's administration sent a warning to the CIF and the athlete's high school, Jurupa Valley High School, of consequences for allowing the situation to continue. CIF is already under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for defying Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. The federation came under additional scrutiny when its officials allegedly forced athletes to remove shirts that read "Protect Girls Sports" at the Southern Sectional prelims on May 10. "CIF's and Jurupa Valley High School's apparent flouting of federal civil rights law by allowing a male athlete to compete in a female California track and field [Southern Sectional Division 3 final] this Saturday, and the alleged retaliation against the girls who are protesting this, is indefensible," Julie Hartman, a Department of Education spokesperson, previously told Fox News Digital. "We will not allow institutions to trample upon women's civil rights. OCR's (Office of Civil Rights) investigation into CIF continues with vigor." The Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) has responded to the controversy in a previous statement to Fox News Digital. "JUSD continues to follow both California law and CIF policy regarding school athletics. Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records. JUSD remains committed to protecting the rights and safety of the students we serve, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws," the statement reads. The situation is set to come to a head next Saturday when the athlete will look to cap off a dominant postseason run with a pair of state titles. The event will take place at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High School in Clovis, California, and will feature a rematch between the trans athlete and a female athlete who has spoken out against her trans opponent's inclusion. In long jump, the athlete will face off against Katie McGuiness, who came in second place behind the athlete at last weekend's sectional final. McGuiness earned an automatic state championship qualification this Saturday with a distance of 18-05.50. "I ran down the runway, and I landed, and I watched them measure my mark, and it was 18.9," McGuiness said in an interview on Fox News' "America Reports." "And I just remember thinking that there was nothing else that I could do. That was it. And I was honestly very discouraged, and I'm a high school senior and winning CIF has always been a goal of mine, and I wasn't able to compete with someone who was genetically different than me." McGuinness made her overall stance on the issue clear. "There are just certain genetic advantages that biological males have that biological girls don't," she said. "Frankly, I just can't stand for that." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Menendez brothers suffer crushing blow after parole hearing is delayed
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been dealt a crushing blow just a week after becoming eligible for parole. The brothers were due to face a parole board on June 13, but that hearing has now been pushed back by more than two months to take place on August 21 and 22. The latest setback delays any possibility of freedom by at least nine weeks, after already spending 35 years behind bars for murdering both of their parents. The brothers appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court last Tuesday, where Judge Michael Jesic reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. The change means they're eligible to apply for parole under California's youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. But the June 13 date was already scheduled as a separate pathway to freedom. Governor Gavin Newsom was due to reveal whether he would consider clemency for the brothers. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not give a reason for delaying the hearing. Newsom has the authority to grant immediate clemency to the brothers at any time, but securing parole could be a months or years-long process. The brothers were ordered in 1996 to spend the rest of their lives in prison for fatally shooting their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings. Defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance. 'I'm not saying they should be released, it's not for me to decide,' Judge Jesic said. 'I do believe they've done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get that chance.' The brothers are broadly supported by their relatives, many of whom testified on their behalf during court proceedings. One said the duo had been 'universally forgiven by the family' for their actions. 'Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was,' Lyle told the court. 'I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification. The impact of my violent actions on my family... is unfathomable.' The defense began by calling Ana Maria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, who testified that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions. 'We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,' Baralt said. 'They are universally forgiven by our family.' Diane Hernandez, who also testified during Erik and Lyle's first trial, spoke about the abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called 'hallway rule'. 'When Jose was with one of the boys … you couldn't even go up the stairs to be on the same floor,' Hernandez said of the father. The previous LA County District Attorney George Gascon had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. Gascon's office said the case would've been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers' rehabilitation over three decades in prison. A resentencing petition laid out by Gascon focuses on the brothers' accomplishments and rehabilitation. Since their conviction, the brothers have received an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates. But current district attorney Nathan Hochman said he believes the brothers are not ready for resentencing because 'they have not come clean' about their crimes. His office also has said it does not believe they were sexually abused. 'Our position is not "no," it's not "never," it's "not yet,"' Hochman said. 'They have not fully accepted responsibility for all their criminal conduct.' On August 20, 1989, armed with two shotguns, the brothers shot both parents to death as they watched a movie at their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers insisted they acted against a father who sexually abused them for years and a mother who turned a blind eye to the abuse. The first trial ended with a hung jury. But at a second trial in 1996 - where the judge refused to allow any evidence about the brothers being molested by their father - they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Explosion in Palm Springs sends shockwaves through the city as images show reproductive center destroyed
Firefighters are responding to a powerful explosion at a building in Palm Springs that injured five people on Saturday morning—and investigators are not ruling out terrorism. The blast occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at the American Reproductive Centers on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, and was felt up to two miles away. 'Everything is in question—whether this is an act of terrorism,' Lt. William Hutchinson told The Desert Sun from the scene. Multiple witnesses reported hearing a loud boom, and dramatic videos shared on social media show the explosion shattered windows of a nearby liquor store. Authorities have not confirmed whether the explosion was accidental or intentional, but Hutchinson said there appears to be at least one fatality. The suspect is believed to be dead, according to authorities. NBC Palm Springs has described the incident as a 'car explosion,' though officials have yet to confirm the cause or release additional details. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said on X that his office is aware of the Palm Springs explosion and confirmed the FBI is on the scene investigating whether it was an intentional act, with more details to be released once confirmed. The blast occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at the American Reproductive Centers on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, according to a statement from his office. 'The state, through [California Governor's Office of Emergency Services], is coordinating with local and federal authorities to support the response,' the statement said. Dr. Maher Abdallah, who operates the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, confirmed to The Associated Press that his facility was among the properties damaged in the blast. He said all staff members were safe and accounted for. The explosion impacted the office area used for patient consultations but did not harm the IVF laboratory or any of the stored embryos. 'I really have no clue what happened,' Abdallah said. 'Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.' Graphic images from the scene seem to show charred human remains. Palm Springs Police and Fire are urging residents to avoid the area so emergency crews can manage the scene. The explosion occurred near—but not on—the grounds of Palm Springs' main hospital, Desert Regional Medical Center, according to a hospital spokesperson. American Reproductive Centers offers fertility treatments but does not perform abortions. According to its website, the building houses the Coachella Valley's first and only full-service fertility clinic and in vitro fertilization lab. Opened in 2006, the center offers a comprehensive range of fertility services, including IVF, egg donation, genetic testing, egg freezing, fertility evaluations for both men and women, intrauterine insemination, LGBTQ family planning, and surrogacy support. The incident comes as in vitro fertilization remains a national flashpoint, with President Donald Trump naming IVF access a policy priority—a move that has sparked both praise and controversy amid broader debates over reproductive rights. Palm Springs resident Tamara Cash was out jogging just a few blocks away when the explosion rocked the American Reproductive Centers on Indian Canyon Drive. 'It was so loud it shook me,' she told the Desert Sun. Cash ran past the smoldering building moments later and saw that every window in sight had been blown out—including some at nearby Desert Regional Medical Center. The hospital is still fully operational, as confirmed by spokesperson Rich Ramhoff. 'All I could hear was alarms going off in different buildings,' she added. Matt Spencer told the Desert Sun he was at home in his apartment just 200 yards away when the explosion rocked Palm Springs Saturday morning. Within minutes, he walked over to the American Reproductive Center and was stunned by the destruction. The blast had hurled the front of the building across the street into the Desert Regional parking lot, he said, and a vehicle's rear axle was still burning behind the facility. What he saw next was even more disturbing—what looked like body parts and debris scattered across both Indian Canyon and Palm Canyon drives. Claudio Chavez was inside the upholstery shop where he works when the blast hit, shattering the windows of the store. 'I was just in my shop waiting for clients, and all of a sudden it felt like a big explosion,' he told the NY Times. 'It took out our window. I just saw a bunch of smoke.' Pictured: Windows are shattered above a parking garage area near Indian Canyon Drive and Tachevah in Palm Springs As thick plumes rose into the air, Chavez said people poured out of nearby homes and businesses to see what had happened. A logistics manager at the shop, he immediately began clearing debris and sweeping up shattered glass.
