Gavin Newsom Again Denies Early Release for Cult Member Longtime Inmate
The governor again refused release for Patricia Krenwinkel, who has spent over five decades behind bars for her role in the 1969 murders masterminded by Charles Manson.
Parole Reversal Draws Backlash
Months after California’s parole board found the 77-year-old suitable for freedom, Newsom overturned the decision and declared that the inmate “currently represents an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time.”
It was the second instance Newsom has blocked her parole, and the decision was met with strong opposition from her legal representative, who argued the governor chose “politics over people” and failed to consider the mistreatment she suffered from the cult figure.
“Newsom’s reversal of her parole approval has no connection to the record of how much she’s changed or the danger she presents,” stated Keith Wattley, her legal counsel. “It is 100% political, in opposition to the evidence and the governing regulations.”
Background of the Crimes
Krenwinkel was twenty-one when the Manson's followers committed the killings of actor Sharon Tate and several others, among them socialite Abigail Folger and celebrity stylist Jay Sebring, and the following night murdered Leno LaBianca and his spouse, Rosemary LaBianca. In 1971, she and other Manson followers were convicted of multiple counts of murder charges for their roles in the crimes.
Prison Transformation
In her decades behind bars – Krenwinkel is the state's most senior incarcerated woman – she has reformed, friends and her legal team stated. She has earned college degrees and her behavior record is clean, legal counsel said, which was a key factor the parole board recommended her for release.
The inmate has shown regret for her role in the offenses. In 2022, she said: “I wish to express how terribly sorry I am for all the pain and suffering that I created when I took the lives that I did … I strive daily to make amends … [and] focus on being a better person.”
Previous Mistreatment and Rehabilitation
A 2017 investigation by the parole board found she endured abuse in multiple forms by Charles Manson, her lawyer noted, adding that she has found her “own identity, independence, and moral compass”.
Similar Instances
The governor has previously denied release for other former cult members. Leslie Van Houten was freed from state custody in 2023 after 53 years when a state appeals court reversed the governor's ruling to block her parole.
