05-03-2016, 03:08 PM
Should she be paroled?
![[Image: 57110b909a416.image.jpg]](http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/cnhinews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/5b/35bdd338-0320-11e6-b4ea-f79aaf3fb078/57110b909a416.image.jpg)
Leslie Van Houten participated in the killings of the LaBiancas. She was sentenced to death originally, the youngest female ever to receive that sentence in California and a special unit was built for her.
But, the death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the state law changed and she was then eligible for parole.
Van Houten has been denied parole 20 times (while a couple of the male Manson family members have been paroled) , but this month a California preliminary parole board approved her release. The recommendation is now pending with the full parole board.
After her arrest, Van Houten tried to absolve Manson of influence over her. She said she would have killed somebody with or without Manson. When asked if she was sorry for the murders, she said "sorry is only a five letter word; what's done is done and you can't take it back".
Now, Van Houten says she condemns Manson and the murders and has for many years. She says she was under the influence of LSD back in the day and she's nothing like the young woman she was back in the last 60s and early 70s. She's been in prison for nearly 50 years.
Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Van_Houten
Leslie Van Houten participated in the killings of the LaBiancas. She was sentenced to death originally, the youngest female ever to receive that sentence in California and a special unit was built for her.
But, the death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the state law changed and she was then eligible for parole.
Van Houten has been denied parole 20 times (while a couple of the male Manson family members have been paroled) , but this month a California preliminary parole board approved her release. The recommendation is now pending with the full parole board.
After her arrest, Van Houten tried to absolve Manson of influence over her. She said she would have killed somebody with or without Manson. When asked if she was sorry for the murders, she said "sorry is only a five letter word; what's done is done and you can't take it back".
Now, Van Houten says she condemns Manson and the murders and has for many years. She says she was under the influence of LSD back in the day and she's nothing like the young woman she was back in the last 60s and early 70s. She's been in prison for nearly 50 years.
Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Van_Houten