Gov. Newsom Declines to Appeal Ruling Granting Release of Charles Manson Follower Leslie Van Houten After 53 Years in Prison

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he will not appeal a lower court ruling that Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten should be released from prison after serving 53 years for two infamous murders.

In a statement, the governor’s office said that it was unlikely that the state Supreme Court would consider an appeal of the ruling. Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other followers in the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.

The statement also noted that the victims’ families still feel the impact of the Manson cult’s brutal killings more than 50 years later.

Van Houten was convicted of two counts of murder and conspiracy for her role in the killings. She was 19 at the time of the murders and was not present at the scene. She has been denied parole 19 times since her conviction.

The California Board of Parole Hearings recommended her release in July, citing her age at the time of the crime, her remorse, and her exemplary behavior in prison. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office appealed the decision, but a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied the appeal in October.

With Gov. Newsom’s decision not to appeal, Van Houten is now expected to be released from prison in the coming months.