Former Manson Family killer Leslie Van Houten was freed on parole Tuesday after spending 53 years behind bars for two murders, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The release of the 73-year-old ex-follower of Charles Manson came after a court in May overruled California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rejection of her parole three years earlier. Newsom announced last week he would not challenge the ruling but said he was “disappointed” by the court’s decision. At 19 years old, Van Houten fatally stabbed couple Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and was later sentenced to death although it was reduced to life in prison when the death penalty was outlawed in California the next year. Van Houten will be under parole supervision and have “a three-year maximum parole term with a parole discharge review occurring after one year,” the corrections department said, according to ABC News.
