California Governor Gavin Newsom Denies Parole For Manson Family Member Patricia Krenwinkel
California Governor Gavin Newsom blocked the parole of Manson Family member Patricia Krenwinkel on Friday, five decades after she took part in the Tate-LaBianca Murders. This is the 15th time Krenwinkel has been denied parole since 1978.
California’s state Board of Parole Hearings recommended Krenwinkel’s release back in May. In his decision, Governor Newsom said Krenwinkel “Ms. Krenwinkel was not only a victim of Mr. Manson’s abuse. She was also a significant contributor to the violence and tragedy that became the Manson Family’s legacy.”
Governor Newsom also wrote that while Krenwinkel accepted responsibility for her direct crimes, she continued to shift “disproportionate blame on Mr. Manson for decisions and conduct within her control” and still poses an unreasonable danger to the general public.
While he commended Krenwinkel for completing rehabilitation programs and education programs and expressing remorse for her role in the murders, he notes that she played a leadership role within The Manson Family. Krenwinkel forced other women to remain loyal to Manson and prevented them from escaping if they tried to leave.
On the evenings of August 8 and 9, 1969, upon the orders of Charles Manson, Krenwinkel along with other Manson followers Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Linda Kasabian, reigned terror upon Los Angeles by killing seven people.
On August 8, actress Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Ann Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Earl Parent were all killed at Tate’s Cielo Drive. Krenwinkel stabbed Folger 28 times according to court testimony.
The following evening, they broke into the home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and brutally murdered them. Krenwinkel wrote “Helter Skelter” and “Death to Pigs” with Leno LaBianca’s blood on the walls of their home.
In 1971, Krenwinkel was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder and received the death penalty. Her sentence was reduced to life in prison in 1972 after the California Supreme Court ruled the death penalty as unconstitutional. The death penalty has since been reinstated.
Krenwinkel is the longest serving female prisoner in the United States following the 2009 death of Susan Atkins. Charles Manson died in prison in 2017.
