From the HERE City National Desk
A California parole panel has granted parole to Patricia Krenwinkel, a former follower of Charles Manson, after nearly six decades in prison for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles.
Krenwinkel, 78, was preliminarily granted parole Tuesday at her 18th suitability hearing, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. It is the third time she has been approved for release.
Gov. Gavin Newsom reversed the last two grants. The board most recently approved her parole on May 30, 2025, and Newsom overturned it on Oct. 13, 2025, writing that she posed an unreasonable danger to society despite her efforts to improve herself in prison.
The new decision now faces a 120-day review by the Board of Parole Hearings. The governor will then have 30 days to let it stand or reverse it. If he reverses it, Krenwinkel will be scheduled for another hearing within 18 months.
Krenwinkel was 21 at the time of the killings and was convicted in 1971. The victims included actor Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant, and grocery owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. She has been imprisoned longer than any other woman in California, and her attorneys are urging Newsom to allow the latest ruling to stand.
