California's Governor Blocks Early Release for Cult Member Longtime Inmate
The governor has once more denied release for Patricia Krenwinkel, who has spent over five decades behind bars for her involvement in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca killings masterminded by Charles Manson.
Parole Reversal Draws Criticism
Months after California’s parole board deemed the elderly fit for release, Newsom reversed the decision and declared that the inmate “currently represents an unreasonable danger to society if released from custody at this time.”
It was the second instance Newsom has blocked her parole, and the decision was met with strong opposition from Krenwinkel’s longtime attorney, who argued the governor chose “politics over people” and failed to consider the abuse she suffered from the cult figure.
“Newsom’s reversal of her parole approval has nothing to do with the record of how much she’s changed or the danger she presents,” stated Keith Wattley, Krenwinkel’s attorney. “It is 100% political, directly contrary to the evidence and the controlling law.”
Case History of the Murders
The inmate was twenty-one when the Manson's followers committed the killings of actress Sharon Tate and several others, among them socialite Abigail Folger and hairstylist Jay Sebring, and the next evening murdered Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary LaBianca. By 1971, she and fellow cult members were found guilty of multiple counts of first-degree murder for their roles in the attack.
Life Behind Bars
In her decades in prison – Krenwinkel is the state's most senior incarcerated woman – she has turned her life around, supporters and attorneys have reported. She has obtained higher education and her conduct is spotless, her attorney said, which was one of the reasons the panel recommended her for release.
The inmate has expressed remorse for her actions in the offenses. Previously, she stated: “I want to say how terribly sorry I am for the harm and anguish that I created when I took the lives that I did … I strive daily to make amends … [and] focus on self-improvement.”
Previous Mistreatment and Reform
A 2017 investigation by the parole board revealed she endured abuse in multiple forms by Charles Manson, her lawyer said in a statement, adding that she has developed her “personal identity, self-reliance, and moral compass”.
Similar Instances
The governor has previously denied release for other former cult members. Another follower was released from California prison in recent years after over five decades when a state appeals court reversed the governor's ruling to block her parole.
