I turned 10 years old in the summer of 1969, a year like no other in terms of all the incredible things that happened over the course of that single 12-month period.
It was the year of improbable champions (The Mets and the Jets), Hurricane Camille and Chappquidick, the Moon Landing and the My Lai Massacre, Woodstock and the Beatles’ rooftop concert in London, the Stonewall Uprising and Nixon’s first inauguration.
It was also the year of the Manson Family Tate-LaBianca murders. While many of the aforementioned events of 1969 are almost forgotten and others are seldom brought to mind, the Manson Family’s notorious murders still hold a fascination for all those old enough to recall them.
Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1971. Even when those sentences were changed to life in prison after California abolished the death penalty in 1972, it was generally assumed they would all die in prison, despite the fact that there was no “life without possibility of parole” at the time they were re-sentenced.
Manson (2017) and Atkins (2009) did die in prison.
Watson remains in prison and will not be able to apply for parole again until 2026. Krenwinkel’s 2022 parole was overturned by California governor Gavin Newsom.
On Tuesday, Leslie Van Houten was paroled, walking out of California Institution for Women in Corona, east of Los Angeles, after 53 years in custody. She is 73 years old.
Unlike the others, Van Houten did not participate in the five Tate murders, but was convicted on two charges of murder in the deaths of grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, which happened the next night.
Were Van Houten not connected to these notorious murderers, being paroled after 53 years probably would have escaped attention or much of a protest.
But the Tate-LaBianca murders are perhaps the most infamous murders of the 20th Century. Naturally, Van Houten’s parole has sparked a nation-wide discussion. In one camp, there are those who say her release is unthinkable, given the vicious, senseless murders of people she didn’t even know and had never done her any harm.
Others consider the facts that Van Houten had served all but 19 years of her life in prison, had repeatedly expressed remorse and had been a model prisoner for more than five decades and believe there was sufficient grounds for parole.
How you view Van Houten’s release relies on your view on prison as retribution for the lives lost or rehabilitation for the guilty. Of course, I can’t think of anyone who ever thought of Manson going to prison as rehabilitation. But Van Houten’s circumstances are different. She was 19 years old and had been manipulated and groomed by a mad man cultist. Van Houten and other members of the cult genuinely believe Manson as the second coming of Christ.
On the night of August 9, 1969, Van Houten was a broken, confused, manipulated, naive 19-year-old. Should that be taken into account? I think so. She has spent virtually her entire adult life in prison and at 73, her most productive years are behind her. That’s no small price to pay.
Her victims, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, would be 97 and 92 respectively and most likely deceased by now.
Charles Manson did not actively participate in any of the Tate-LaBianca murders, but there can be little doubt that Sharon Tate (eight months pregnant), Jay Sebring, Abigail Folder, Voytek Frykowski, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca and Rosemary LaBianca died at his command. He murdered them all. And, for all meaningful purposes, he murdered the meaningful, productive portions of the lives of Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten.
I think maybe it is time, all those years later, to consider justice served in this infamous murder case.
Some people may consider Van Houten’s parole as mercy for the merciless. I can understand that, but another part of me hopes she can find peace after paying a 52-year debt.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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