AP Was There: Cult leader Charles Manson and followers convicted for brutal California killings
Three women co-defendants in the Sharon Tate murder case, from left, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, laugh as they walk to court in Los Angeles for sentencing on March 29, 1971. Van Houten, one of Charles Manson's followers, was released from prison on parole on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Credit: AP/Anonymous
LOS ANGELES — EDITOR’S NOTE — On Jan. 26, 1971, Charles Manson and three members of his California cult were convicted for the murders of seven people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate. On Tuesday, one of those three followers, Leslie Van Houten, was released from a California prison after serving more than 50 years for the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles; and his wife, Rosemary.
Van Houten is the only one of Manson's followers involved in the murders to be let out of prison.
The Associated Press is republishing a version of its original report about the conviction by Linda Deutsch, who covered the trial that lasted from late 1969 into 1971.
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