California Gov. Jerry Brown has denied parole for Leslie Van Houten, a former follower of late cult leader Charles Manson convicted of murdering a married couple in 1969.
Mr. Brown on Friday rejected a state parole board’s recent decision to release Van Houten, 68, a former so-called “Manson Family” member currently serving life imprisonment for the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
Van Houten and others killed the LaBiancas inside their Los Angeles home on Aug. 10, 1969, a day after fellow Manson followers infamously murdered five people including pregnant actress Sharon Tate in nearby Benedict Canyon.
A California Board of Parole panel agreed last September that Van Houten was suitable for release, but Mr. Brown intervened Friday and said she should remain incarcerated, citing “the aggravated nature of the crime” and her reluctance to wholly take responsibility.
Van Houten “played a vital part in the LaBianca murders, one of the most notorious of the Manson family crimes,” wrote Mr. Brown, a Democrat. “The devastation and loss experienced by the LaBianca family and all the victims’ families continues today.”
“Even today, five decades later, Van Houten has not wholly accepted responsibility for her role in the violent and brutal deaths of Mr. and Mrs. LaBianca,” Mr. Brown wrote in his decision. “These crimes stand apart from others by their heinous nature and shocking motive.”
Van Houten took responsibility, Mr. Brown acknowledged, but she “still shifted blame for her own actions onto Manson to some extent,” he said.
“I allowed it. I accept responsibility that I allowed him to conduct my life in that way,” Van Houten said previously, the governor recalled.
Rich Pfeiffer, Van Houten’s attorney, said he’ll appeal the governor’s ruling.
“We’re going to challenge this in court,” said Mr. Pfeiffer. “I expect the courts to uphold the law and allow her to be released.”
Mr. Pfeizzer said he has “dozens of clients who have done much worse deeds than Leslie has done and they’re out leading productive lives,” the Associated Press reported.
Mr. Brown was governor of California from 1975 to 1983 prior to winning office again in 2011. He similarly denied Van Houten parole after a state panel recommended her release in 2016.
Manson died last November at the age of 83 while serving life imprisonment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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