Now aged-73, Leslie Van Houten was 19-years-old when she was sentenced for her part in two notorious killings
ADVERTISEMENTCharles 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.
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.