Will Newsom have a change of heart in parole of Manson family member?
A California Board of Parole panel has recommended that convicted Manson Family murderer Patricia Krenwinkel be released from prison. While the recommendation does get the convicted murderer closer to freedom, she’ll need California Gov. Gavin Newsom to change his mind on keeping her in prison.
The Manson Family murders of 1969 were a series of brutal killings carried out by followers of Charles Manson, a cult leader who orchestrated the attacks.
Patricia Krenwinkel admitted to attacking and repeatedly stabbing coffee heiress Abigail Folger during a brutal murder at the home of actress Sharon Tate in August 1969. The Manson Family members killed all five people at the Tate home. They include an 8-month pregnant Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent.
The following night, Krenwinkel was involved in another double homicide, this time targeting Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their Los Angeles home.
In total, eight people were murdered, including Tate’s unborn son.
Messages written in victims’ blood
After the murders, Krenwinkel helped write disturbing messages, including the phrases “Helter Skelter” and “Death to pigs,” on the walls using the victims’ blood. This was intended to spark fear and confusion and was part of Charles Manson’s delusional plan to incite a race war.
Sentencing and prison term
Krenwinkel and the other Manson Family members were originally sentenced to death. However, those sentences were later commuted to life in prison when California abolished the death penalty in 1972.
The 77-year-old has been behind bars since her 1971 conviction, making her California’s longest-serving female prisoner. She interviewed for a parole special TV program in 1993.
Krenwinkel’s previous statements on parole
“Their criteria is very much based on ‘Are you a danger? Would you commit the same crime?’” Krenwinkel said about the parole board in the 1993 interview. “Well, if that’s part of the criteria, of course not. I would never do any of that again. Number one, the circumstances would never come, but by God, I’ve grown. I’ve spent these years looking at every detail of the kind of person I was that allowed me to get into a situation like that. It could never be repeated.”
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Patricia Krenwinkel has had 16 parole hearings and has been denied parole 14 times previously. More than 116,000 people have signed a petition opposing her release.
Victim’s family opposes release
Sharon Tate’s sister, Debra Tate, created an online petition asking for support against Krenwinkel’s release.
“For years, this woman laughed about the murders in court and showed absolutely no remorse at all,” Tate wrote. “Society cannot allow this serial killer who committed such horrible, gruesome, random killings back out.”
Parole recommendation and next steps
On Friday, Krenwinkel appeared for her 16th parole hearing in the state of California. Even though the board recommended her for release, she’s not free yet.
After the parole board recommends release, its legal team has up to 120 days (four months) to review and officially confirm that the decision follows the law.
Once the board finalizes the decision, Newsom then has 30 days to approve it, reverse it or take no action.
Previous parole denial by governor
The last time Krenwinkel was up for parole in 2022, Newsom overturned the parole board’s recommendation. He said Krenwinkel still posed an “unreasonable danger to society” if she was freed at that time. In his 2022 report, the governor wrote, “At her parole hearing, Ms. Krenwinkel accepted responsibility for her direct crimes, yet she continued to shift disproportionate blame to Mr. Manson for decisions and conduct within her control.”
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
