Van Houten, 73, had been sent behind bars for his involvement in a 1969 double murder in Los Angeles.
A notorious serial killer Charles Manson belonged to the followers Leslie Van Houten was released from prison on Tuesday after more than 50 years. This was reported by California state prison officials.
Van Houten, 73, was convicted of his involvement in a 1969 double murder in Los Angeles. Members of the Manson cult committed a total of at least nine murders in Los Angeles during that summer.
According to authorities, Van Houten was released to parole supervision.
Van Houten was 19 years old when she joined the so-called Manson Family. It was about a cult whose goal, within the framework of its strange plot, was to commit murders around Los Angeles in the hope of starting a race war.
Manson, who famously led his followers to murder a pregnant actress Sharon Tate and his friends, died in prison in 2017.
Van Houten was not present when Tate and four other people were murdered. However, Van Houten has admitted that he participated in the murders the night after that, when he stabbed the grocer’s wife Rosemary LaBianca up to 16 times.
The release decision was overturned several times
Over the years, state governors repeatedly blocked attempts to free Van Houten. Incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom however, said last week that he would take no further action to challenge the release decision that has now been made.
In his latest attempt to block 2022, Newsom said Van Houten could still be a danger to society. According to Newsom, Van Houten had also not fully explained how she had fallen under Manson’s power and ended up committing horrific acts of violence.
However, in May, appeals court judges overturned Newsom’s veto by a 2-1 vote. According to the judges, there is no evidence to support the governor’s conclusions. At the same time, they issued a decision in favor of Van Houten’s release.
Newsom’s spokesman said last week that the governor was disappointed by the court’s decision to release him, but that he would take no further action.
Van Houten had been recommended for release a total of five times since 2016, but governors Jerry Brown and Newsom had repeatedly vetoed the release.