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Gavin Newsom again rejected release for the convicted inmate, who has spent over five decades behind bars for her role in the notorious murders orchestrated by Charles Manson.

Governor's Decision Draws Criticism

Months after the state parole panel found the elderly suitable for release, the governor reversed the decision and declared that Krenwinkel “currently represents an unacceptable risk to society if released from custody at this time.”

This marks the second instance Newsom has blocked her parole, and the move was met with sharp criticism from Krenwinkel’s longtime attorney, who claimed the governor chose “politics over people” and failed to consider the abuse she endured from Manson.

“Newsom’s reversal of Pat’s grant has nothing to do with the evidence of her transformation or the danger she poses,” said Keith Wattley, her legal counsel. “It is 100% political, in opposition to the facts and the controlling law.”

Background of the Crimes

Krenwinkel was twenty-one when the Manson's followers committed the murders of actress Sharon Tate and four others, among them socialite Abigail Folger and celebrity stylist Jay Sebring, and the next evening murdered grocer Leno LaBianca and his spouse, Rosemary LaBianca. In 1971, she and other Manson followers were convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder for their roles in the crimes.

Life Behind Bars

In her decades in prison – she is the state's most senior incarcerated woman – she has turned her life around, friends and her legal team have reported. She has obtained higher education and her conduct is clean, legal counsel noted, which was one of the reasons the parole board supported her parole.

Krenwinkel has expressed remorse for her actions in the offenses. In 2022, she said: “I wish to express my deep regret I am for all the pain and suffering that I caused when I took the lives that I did … I try every day to live amends … [and] focus on self-improvement.”

Past Abuse and Rehabilitation

A 2017 investigation by the parole board revealed she endured physical, emotional and sexual violence by the cult leader, her attorney noted, adding that she has developed her “personal identity, independence, and moral compass”.

Similar Instances

The governor has previously blocked parole for other former cult members. Another follower was freed from state custody in 2023 after 53 years when a state appeals court overturned the governor’s decision to deny her release.