Thaindian News

July 6 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Leslie Van Houten was just 19 years old when she took part in a pair of grisly murders as a member of the infamous ‘Charles Manson Family’. She is 60 now, and soon to face a parole board for the nineteenth time.

Van Houten is expected to face the California Parole Board at 4 pm eastern time today (Tuesday) to receive the announcement of her fate. She is considered by many to be the least culpable member of the Manson family, and she did not take part in the murders at the home of actress Sharon Tate, where Tate, and four others were killed by members of the Manson family.

Van Houten did, however, take part in the murder of Rosemary LaBianca, whose home was chosen at random by the Mansons. Van Houten held Rosemary while she was stabbed by another Mason followers, and then stabbed LaBianca about 12 times in the back after being told by Charles “Tex” Watson to “do something.”

Leslie Van Houten was a former homecoming princess, from Monrovia. She had been estranged from her family when she met Charles Manson, whom she was introduced to by her boyfriend. She came to believe in Manson’s cultish teachings, and believed that his plans to commit murder to spark a race war was a good idea.

“I’m deeply ashamed of it,” she told a parole board in 2002. “I take very seriously not just the murders but what made me make myself available to someone like Manson.” But the Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, Stephen Kay stated at her 2002 parole hearing that he does not feel anyone who had committed such “vicious acts” should be paroled anytime soon. Kay was a part of the Manson trials, and has been at all 58 of the hearing which have been held for the five murderers which have been placed in prison in connection to the Manson family.