Patricia Krenwinkel, 78, was granted parole on Tuesday for the third time in her 57-year incarceration for the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders. As a former follower of Charles Manson, Krenwinkel remains California’s longest-serving female inmate, with her release now pending a 120-day review by the Board of Parole Hearings and a subsequent gubernatorial decision.
The Parole Status and Path to Release
- Krenwinkel was found suitable for release at her 18th parole hearing, following previous grants in 2022 and 2025 that were both reversed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
- Her legal team, led by Keith Wattley of the non-profit UnCommon Law, argues that her decades of rehabilitation and clean disciplinary record warrant her release under California law.
- The decision now enters a 120-day review period, followed by a 30-day window for Governor Newsom to uphold or reverse the board’s recommendation.
The Legal and Political Tug-of-War
While the parole board has consistently found that Krenwinkel no longer poses an unreasonable risk to public safety—citing nine consecutive positive psychological evaluations over the last 40 years—Governor Newsom has twice intervened to block her freedom. In his 2025 reversal, Newsom acknowledged her “serious chronic medical conditions” but argued she had not yet developed sufficient insight into the factors that led to her involvement in the cult.
Krenwinkel’s attorneys contend that these reversals are driven by political pressure rather than objective risk assessments. This tension mirrors the high-profile release of fellow Manson follower Leslie Van Houten in 2023. While Newsom initially vetoed Van Houten’s parole, an appeals court eventually sided with her.
The Evolution of the Manson Case in the Public Eye
The Tate-LaBianca murders, which claimed the lives of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, remain one of the most notorious chapters in American crime. Krenwinkel, who was 21 at the time of the killings, has spent nearly six decades behind bars. Attorneys for Krenwinkel maintain she was a victim of Manson’s psychological abuse and manipulation, a defense she has leaned into during recent hearings to demonstrate her remorse. Krenwinkel was 19 when she fell under Manson’s control, seeking a sense of belonging that he exploited through drugs and psychological abuse.
During the 1971 trial, Krenwinkel testified that she chased Abigail Folger before stabbing her more than two dozen times and used blood to write “Death to pigs” on the home’s wall. Alongside co-defendants Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten, she famously appeared in court with an X carved into her forehead. Five people were tried for the crimes: Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Charles Manson, and Krenwinkel. While Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, and Bruce Davis died in custody, Manson having passed away in a Kern County hospital in November 2017, others remain imprisoned, including Tex Watson and Robert Kenneth Beausoleil.
Opposition to her release remains fierce, led by Debra Tate, the sister of victim Sharon Tate. Debra Tate has consistently campaigned against the release of any Manson family members, arguing that the gravity of the crimes necessitates life imprisonment regardless of the perpetrator’s age or behavior in prison. Her online petition, active since 2016, has garnered over 100,000 signatures from those who believe Krenwinkel should remain incarcerated. “Society cannot allow this serial killer who committed such horrible, gruesome, random killings back out,” she wrote.
| Action | Timeline/Status |
|---|---|
| Initial Conviction | 1971 (Sentenced to death, later commuted to life) |
| First Parole Grant | May 2022 (Reversed by Governor Newsom) |
| Second Parole Grant | May 2025 (Reversed by Governor Newsom, Oct 2025) |
| Current Parole Grant | Tuesday (Pending 120-day review) |
The Broader Crisis of Aging Prison Populations
The push for Krenwinkel’s release coincides with growing concern regarding the rising number of elderly inmates languishing in US prisons. If Governor Newsom chooses to reverse this latest decision, Krenwinkel would be scheduled for a new hearing within 18 months.
As of late Tuesday night, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has confirmed the preliminary grant of parole. Whether the Governor will break from his previous interventions or maintain his stance on the “causative factors” of her crimes remains the definitive question for the next 150 days of the legal process.
