Now aged-73, Leslie Van Houten was 19-years-old when she was sentenced for her part in two notorious killings
Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten walked out of a California prison Tuesday after serving 53 years of a life sentence for her participation in two infamous murders.
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In the late 1960s, cult leader Charles Manson directed his followers to commit nine murders including that of actress Sharon Tate, hoping the killings would start a race war.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Van Houten “was released to parole supervision.”
Her release comes days after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would not fight a state appeals court ruling that Van Houten should be granted parole.
Van Houten, now in her 70s, received a life sentence for helping Manson’s followers carry out the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.
She was released from prison in the early morning hours and driven to transitional housing, her attorney Nancy Tetreault said.