That rationale ended up setting her free. Instead, he worried that the 73-year-old Van Houten would kill again. Gavin Newsom made a more compelling case as to why she should have stayed there for the murders of Rosemary and Leno LaBianca.
There is a strong chance that Leslie Van Houten would have remained behind bars had Gov. (Stan Lim/Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool, File) In September 2017, she was recommended for release, a decision awaiting approval by the state Parole Board and Gov. While incarcerated, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in counseling, was certified as a counselor and headed numerous programs to help inmates.
She was convicted of the LaBianca murders. 6, 2017 file photo shows Leslie Van Houten at her parole hearing at the California Institution for Women in Corona, Calif.
