Manson Follower Patricia Krenwinkel Recommended for Parole Again
Patricia Krenwinkel, a former follower of cult leader Charles Manson, has once again been recommended for parole, more than 55 years after she took part in the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders.
A California parole board panel preliminarily granted the 78-year-old parole at her 18th subsequent suitability hearing this week, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed Wednesday. It is the third time the board has recommended her release.
Twice Before, the Governor Said No
A parole panel first recommended Krenwinkel's release in May 2022, but Gov. Gavin Newsom reversed that decision later that year.
The board granted her parole again on May 30, 2025. Newsom reversed that one too, on October 13, 2025.
In that reversal, the governor praised her "efforts to improve herself in prison" and noted "an excellent disciplinary history." But he concluded that "she currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time," FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
What Happens Next
The latest decision is not final. "All grants of parole are proposed decisions and become final only after a thorough and comprehensive review by the Board of Parole Hearings and the Governor," the CDCR said.
The parole board has 120 days to review the grant. Because Krenwinkel was convicted of murder, the governor then has 30 days to let the decision stand, change it or reverse it.
If the governor reverses it again, Krenwinkel would get another parole hearing within 18 months, according to KESQ.
The Tate-LaBianca Murders
On August 9, 1969, Manson followers killed actress Sharon Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant, and four others at a home in Los Angeles. The next night, they killed grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in their home.
Krenwinkel was convicted in 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Her sentence was changed to life in prison after the California Supreme Court briefly struck down the state's death penalty in 1972.
Krenwinkel was 21 at the time of the killings. During the Tate attack, she stabbed coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and she took part in the LaBianca murders the following night.
She is now the longest-serving woman in California's prison system and is held at the California Institution for Women in Chino.
Decades of Rehabilitation
Behind bars, Krenwinkel earned a bachelor's degree in human services, took part in recovery programs and taught other inmates to read. She has also written poetry and music and given dance lessons to other inmates.
She has expressed remorse over the years. In a 1994 interview with Diane Sawyer, she said she wakes up every day knowing she is a "destroyer of the most precious thing, which is life."
The Manson Family's Lasting Shadow
Manson himself died in prison in 2017 at age 83. Fellow follower Leslie Van Houten was released on parole in 2023 after Newsom chose not to challenge a court ruling in her favor.
The crimes continue to fascinate the public decades later. A new Manson Family documentary recently questioned the official motive behind the killings, and one filmmaker even learned through a DNA test that Charles Manson was her grandfather.
Krenwinkel's case is one of several high-profile California parole battles in recent years. The Menendez brothers also became eligible for parole after being resentenced for killing their parents.
Victims' families have strongly opposed releasing Manson followers over the years, arguing the brutality of the crimes should keep them behind bars for life.
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