Former Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten may have a better chance of being released from prison after more than 50 years, following a ruling by a California appeals court on Tuesday. The court’s decision overrules California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last year vetoed a recommendation by the state’s parole board that Van Houten be set free.
Van Houten was convicted in 1971 of killing Leno and Rosemary LaBianca as part of the string of murders carried out by followers of cult leader Charles Manson in August, 1969. Initially sentenced to death, she was granted 2 retrials in the late 1970s and subsequently convicted of first degree murder, receiving a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.