California Gov. Gavin Newsom blocked the 71-year-old’s release, saying Van Houten “currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison.”
California Gov. Gavin Newson has blocked the release of Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten. In July, a California parole board had recommended parole for 71-year-old Van Houten, who is serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women in Chino for helping Manson and others murder grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in August 1969. Newsom reversed the decision, marking the fourth time a governor has blocked Van Houten’s release Newsom also blocked Van Houten’s release last year, while his predecessor, Jerry Brown, blocked it another two times. Van Houten’s attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, told The Associated Press that he will appeal Newsom’s decision. “This reversal will demonstrate to the courts that there is no way Newsom will let her out,” Pfeiffer said. “So they have to enforce the law or it will never be enforced.” In his decision, Newsom said that Van Houten “currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison.
