Manson Family murderer Leslie Van Houten released from prison after 53 years

Leslie Van Houten, a member of the Manson Family cult who aided in the murder of two people, has been released from prison after 53 years. The Manson Family was a cult that operated in the 1960s, with

Leslie Van Houten, a member of the Manson Family cult who aided in the murder of two people, has been released from prison after 53 years.

The Manson Family was a cult that operated in the 1960s, with many believing that the murders they committed ended the so-called summer of love in '69.

Van Houten, who was 19 at the time, played a part in the 1969 murders of Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. Their blood was smeared on the walls as the cult attempted to incite a race war, notably writing the term "Healter [sic] Skelter", an apocalyptic vision of the world that the cult subscribed to.

During the murders, the victims' heads were covered in pillowcases, and Manson ordered that they be killed, so cult member Tex Watson stabbed them multiple times with a bayonet.

When the murderers went to court, Van Houten claimed that she didn't kill the married couple, but stabbed Rosemary LaBianca around 16 times after she was already deceased.

The Manson Family cult member explained that she held Rosemary down as she was being murdered, and helped carve up the bodies to write the messages on the walls.

 

These murders happened the day after the infamous killing of actress Sharon Tate and four others, though Van Houten didn't play a part in those killings.

Van Houten, now 73, was put behind bars in 1971 for her part in the murders, and although she was initially sentenced to death, this was later commuted to life imprisonment after California abolished the death penalty.

Over the years, the convicted murderer has expressed her regret for her part in what took place, stating that she was high on LSD and believed Manson to be "Jesus".

 

Per BBC News, 73-year-old was released on Tuesday, with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations stating that she was "released to parole supervision" and is expected to spend the next year in transitional housing.

Here she will learn how to adapt to the modern world and will be taught skills such as how to use the internet, making purchases without cash, and how to fit into modern society.

Van Houten will be on parole for the next three years, and her lawyer Nancy Tetreault has stated that her client wants to get a job as soon as possible. "It's a very different world than when she went in," she added.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has said that he will not oppose the state's decision to release Van Houten and that it is unlikely that the Supreme Court would listen to an appeal.

The 73-year-old has been eligible for parole since 2016 but Newsom has blocked previous appeals as he still believes that she poses a risk to society.

In a statement, Newsom's office said: "More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims' families still feel the impact."