Governor Jerry Brown has wisely  denied parole to Manson family murderer Leslie Van Houten.

 

Last Friday, Brown rejected the state parole board's recommendation to free Van Houten, after a two-member board panel in April surprisingly recommended Van Houten be freed after her 19 previous requests had been rejected.

 

Van Houten originally was sentenced to death for her role in the horrific Aug. 10, 1969 murders of wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. Van Houten held Rosemary LaBianca down while fellow Manson-follower Tex Watson impaled her with a bayonet. She then stabbed Mrs. LaBianca 14 times in the back. Her sentence was commuted to life in prison when the California Supreme Court struck down the death penalty.

 

Brown, in a five-page decision, wrote that Van Houten posed "an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison," according to the Los Angeles Times. In explaining his decision, the governor cited the brutality of the crime, its effect on society and the killers' desire to start a race war. He also noted that Van Houten admitted to a prison psychologist more than two years after the murders that she would have no problem killing again.

 

Van Houten, however, could still be freed in the future. She will come up for parole again, and her attorney already has said he will go to court to challenge Brown's decision.

 

ALADS agrees anyone convicted of such heinous crimes should remain in prison and we will keep you updated on any developments in this case.