California Governor Gavin Newsom has once again denied parole for Patricia Krenwinkel, a 77-year-old former follower of Charles Manson, who has served over 50 years for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders. In a decision announced on Monday, Newsom reversed the parole board's recommendation for release, stating that Krenwinkel “currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time.”
This marks the second time Newsom has blocked Krenwinkel's parole. Her attorney, Keith Wattley, criticised the decision as “100% political” and contrary to evidence of her rehabilitation. Krenwinkel has been described as California’s longest-serving female prisoner and has reportedly earned college degrees and maintained a spotless behaviour record while incarcerated.
Krenwinkel was 21 when she participated in the murders of actress Sharon Tate, heiress Abigail Folger, hairstylist Jay Sebring, and the following night grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. She was convicted in 1971 on seven counts of first-degree murder. In recent years, she has expressed remorse, stating in 2022, “I want to say is how terribly sorry I am for all the pain and suffering that I created.”
A 2017 parole board investigation noted that Krenwinkel experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of Charles Manson, and her lawyer argues she has since developed her own moral compass. Newsom has previously blocked parole for other Manson followers, including Leslie Van Houten, who was released in 2023 after a court overruled the governor’s decision.
