Board recommends parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten

[alp227]

Source: LA Times

A California review board recommended parole Thursday for former Charles Manson family member Leslie Van Houten, who was convicted of murder in the 1969 killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

The decision was issued following a hearing earlier in the day at the California Institution for Women in Chino. Van Houten had previously been denied parole 19 times since she was convicted of killing the wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca and his second wife at their Los Feliz home.

After the ruling is reviewed by the parole board's legal team, it will be forwarded to Gov. Jerry Brown, who could decide to block Van Houten’s release.

The youngest of Manson’s followers, Van Houten, 66, has been considered the least blameworthy member of the group, portrayed by supporters as a misguided teen under the influence of LSD on the night of the killings.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-charles-manson-follower-leslie-van-houten-seeks-parole-for-1969-slaying-20160413-story.html

[Jackie Wilson Said]

1. Speaking of parole, do you know how many black people cant vote because they have

a felony on their record?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

2. Time to let her go.

Keeping her serves no purpose at this point, IMO. She's paid for her crime.

[greymouse]

4. unless she's tortured to death

she has not paid for her crime. And even then, it does not give her innocent victims their lives back.

[Quantess]

5. Interesting... does this apply to everyone,

even those who oversaw torturing people to death, world leaders such as (George W Bush, Dick Cheney) since they haven't been convicted yet?

[dembotoz]

7. ahh the old eye for an eye thing

no thank you

[LanternWaste]

8. confusion as to the relevance of what happens to her in regards to the state of the victim

"And even then, it does not give her innocent victims their lives back..."

Nor does keeping her incarcerated. Not does application of the death penalty. Hence, you may understand my confusion as to the relevance of what happens to her in direct regards to the immutable state of the victims.

[maxsolomon]

9. She's paid with 45 years behind bars. She wasn't sentenced to death.

The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.

[Xithras]

12. Actually, she was sentenced to death.

She was sentenced to death in 1971. In 1972, the California Supreme Court ruled that the states death penalty laws were unconstitutional, and commuted the sentences for everyone on death row (at that time) to life in prison. When California updated its laws and reinstated the death penalty later, it could not legally reimpose the death penalty on the previously commuted prisoners...which is the only reason that Van Houten is still alive today. If not for that lucky legal break, she'd have been executed decades ago.

[maxsolomon]

13. interesting.

I wonder what she'd prefer - death decades ago, or being turned down for parole again and again until she dies from natural causes - which could be 20 years from now.

[Skittles]

16. I do not think she can ever really pay in full for that crime

but I agree that of all the people involved, she is the only one I think should be paroled

[edbermac]

3. Prosecutor Bugliosi once wrote she had the best chance for parole.

Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel are probably there for life.

[Jnclr89]

6. I don't know...

If she was involved with the murder of one of my family members, I'm not sure I'd be to happy to see her walking free, ever. I love my family.

[maxsolomon]

10. So, 50 years then?

60? or just never?

Does anyone convicted of a homicide ever deserve parole?

[branford]

15. Convicted of multiple counts of premeditated homicide,

and actually sentenced to death by a jury.

In her case, her life sentence was a legal technicality and undeserved mercy, and she should die in prison.

There are some people today serving unduly harsh and unearned prison sentences, often minors and concerning relatively minor crimes. Leslie Van Houten is not one of those people.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

19. And all of us would agree with respect to our own families. But that's why we have law and not

vigilante justice. If someone hurt my kids, it would be hard not to go outside the law to do something about it. But cooler heads need to make the actual decisions.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. Van Houten should be paroled. So should Robert Beausoleil

Had these been identical offenses not connected to the name Manson, they would have been paroled 20 years ago.

[bluestateguy]

14. She needs to be punished

and die alone in dark, dank prison dungeon.

[farleftlib]

17. She has done very hard time

She is no threat to society and thus her incarceration serves no purpose. She has paid a high price for her actions. Let her go.

[BigDemVoter]

18. I agree.

I don't think she can ever fully "pay" for her crime, but as you said, keeping her in prison serves no purpose, and she certainly isn't any threat to society at this point. Nearly a half century in prison isn't a small price to pay. In a sense, she HAS paid with her life.

I am not excusing her or her actions. I just don't see what's gained from trying to make a point.

[Lil Missy]

20. About time. She's paid for her crime and is not a threat to society n/t

[Skittles]

21. people can never really pay in full for these kind of crimes

but I agree she has long been no threat to society