A California appeals court said Tuesday that Leslie Van Houten, who participated in two killings alongside cult leader Charles Manson in 1969, should be let out of prison on parole.
The appellate court’s ruling reverses an earlier decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who rejected parole for Van Houten in 2020. She has been recommended for parole five times since 2016. All of those recommendations were rejected by either Newsom or former California Gov. Jerry Brown.
