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Gavin Newsom again rejected parole for Patricia Krenwinkel, who has spent more than half a century in prison for her role in the notorious murders masterminded by Charles Manson.

Governor's Decision Draws Backlash

Nearly five months after California’s parole board found the elderly suitable for release, the governor overturned the decision and stated that the inmate “currently poses an unreasonable danger to the public if released from prison at this time.”

This marks the second instance the governor has blocked her parole, and the move was met with strong opposition from her legal representative, who argued the governor chose “politics over people” and overlooked the abuse she suffered from the cult figure.

“Newsom’s reversal of her parole approval has no connection to the record of her transformation or the danger she presents,” stated her attorney, her legal counsel. “It's entirely political, in opposition to the evidence and the governing regulations.”

Background of the Crimes

The inmate was 21 when the Manson's followers committed the killings of actor Sharon Tate and four others, among them socialite Abigail Folger and celebrity stylist Jay Sebring, and the next evening murdered grocer Leno LaBianca and his spouse, Rosemary LaBianca. In 1971, she and fellow cult members were convicted of multiple counts of murder charges for their roles in the attack.

Prison Transformation

In her decades in prison – Krenwinkel is the state's most senior female prisoner – she has turned her life around, supporters and attorneys have reported. She has obtained higher education and her conduct is clean, legal counsel noted, which was a key factor the parole board supported her parole.

Krenwinkel has expressed remorse for her role in the offenses. In 2022, she stated: “I want to say how terribly sorry I am for the harm and anguish that I caused when I took the lives that I did … I try every day to live amends … [and] work toward self-improvement.”

Past Abuse and Rehabilitation

An earlier inquiry by the parole board found she endured physical, emotional and sexual violence by the cult leader, her attorney said in a statement, adding that she has developed her “personal identity, independence, and moral compass”.

Other Cases

The governor has previously blocked release for other former cult members. Leslie Van Houten was freed from state custody in recent years after 53 years when a court of appeals reversed the governor’s decision to deny her release.