Former Manson follower Leslie Van Houten out of prison after 50 years

Leslie Van Houten in 2017.
(Image credit: Stan Lim / Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool, File)

Leslie Van Houten, a onetime follower of Charles Manson who participated in the 1969 murders of husband and wife Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, was released from a California prison on Tuesday after more than 50 years behind bars.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) had denied Van Houten's parole three times, but after being overruled by an appeals court in May, he declined to challenge the decision. In a statement, his office said Newsom is "disappointed" by Van Houten's release.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.