'Manson Family' member who smeared blood on walls recommended for parole
A Manson cult murdererwho killed the actress Sharon Tateand smeared blood on the walls of her home has been recommended for parole, sparking anger from the actress's family. Patricia Krenwinkel, 77, the longest-serving female inmate in California, is one of two remainingso-called "Manson Family"members still in prison. In 1971, she was convicted of the murders of seven people, including the actress Sharon Tate, during a two-night rampage that shocked America in 1969. Krenwinkel was sentenced to death, but her sentence was reduced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after California abolished the death penalty in 1972. Incarcerated at the California Institution for Women for 54 years, Krenwinkel did not speak at the four-hour hearing on Friday. Tate's family members, meanwhile, argued she should stay in prison. "For years, this woman laughed about the murders in court and showed absolutely no remorse at all," wrote Debra Tate, the younger sister of Sharon Tate, in an online petition on Friday. "Society cannot allow this serial killer, who committed such horrible, gruesome, random killings, back out." It is the 16th time that Krenwinkel has appeared before a parole board, and the second time she was recommended. The first was in 2022, but the decision was overruled by Gavin Newsom, California's governor. Mr Newsom wrote at the time that Krenwinkel "still poses an unreasonable danger to society if paroled at this time". The governor could reject the parole board's decision once again or send it back for further review. "At her parole hearing, Ms. Krenwinkel accepted responsibility for her direct crimes, yet she continued to shift disproportionate blame to Mr. Manson for decisions and conduct within her control," Mr Newsom wrote. Tate, the 26-year-old wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, was one of seven victims of the grisly killings by the Manson cult on the nights of August 9 and 10, 1969. Eight months pregnant, Tate was stabbed and shot to death at her Beverly Hills home with four friends, including coffee heiress Abigail Folger, hair stylist Thomas Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Earl Parent. Mr Polanski was in Europe at the time. Krenwinkel testified to chasing Folger with a knife and stabbing her 28 times. She later admitted at trial that her hand throbbed from stabbing her so many times. The following night, Krenwinkel and other Manson followers stabbed to death grocery store executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in their homes. Both homes had smears of blood on the walls, and Krenwinkel had used blood to write "death to pigs". Manson did not personally kill any of the seven victims, but he was found guilty of ordering their murders as part of a delusional plot to ignite a race war, which he believed had been presaged in the Beatles song Helter Skelter. Krenwinkel, who was 23 at the time, along with Manson, then 36, and three others of his so-called "family" of misfits and hippie types, were convicted of all the murders. At Krenwinkel's 14 other parole denials, the board cited the brutality of the murders. One of his followers, Susan Atkins, died in prison in 2009. Charles "Tex" Watson, 79, remains in jail. Leslie Van Houtenwas released from prison on parole in 2023 after spending 53 years behind bars. She received a life sentence for helping Manson's followers carry out the August 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary. Van Houten, 75, described holding Rosemary down with a pillowcase over her head as others stabbed her. Then, ordered by another Manson follower to "do something", Van Houten said, she picked up a knife and stabbed the woman around 16 times. Governor Newsom had rejected her parole recommendation. But she successfully appealed the decision to a US Court of Appeal, which reversed Mr Newsom's rejection. She spent about a year at a halfway house, learning the basic skills of modern life after more than half a century behind bars. At the time, her lawyer Nancy Tetreault said: "She has to learn to use the internet. She has to learn to buy things without cash. "It's a very different world than when she went in." A popular former high school cheerleader, Van Houten saw her life spiral out of control at 14 following her parents' divorce. She began using drugs and became pregnant, but said her mother forced her to abort the foetus and bury it in the family's backyard. Van Houten met Manson at an old movie ranch on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where he had established his so-called "family" of followers. He died in prison in 2017 of natural causes at age 83 after nearly half a century behind bars. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
'Manson Family' member who smeared blood on walls recommended for parole A Manson cult murdererwho killed the actress Sharon Tateand...
