Patricia Krenwinkel, the former Charles Manson follower convicted in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, has once again been recommended for parole after more than 55 years in prison.
The 78-year-old was recommended for release Tuesday for the third time in four years, potentially setting up another confrontation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor has twice blocked her parole, citing concerns that she could still pose a danger to the public.
The latest recommendation, confirmed through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s inmate database, came less than a year after Newsom overturned her previous parole approval.
In an October 2025 decision, Newsom said Krenwinkel “lacks the requisite insight she needs to be safely released,” while recognizing the rehabilitation work she had undertaken during her decades behind bars.
Manson family members Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie van Houten. (Bettmann Archive)
“When considered as a whole, the evidence shows that she currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time,” Newsom wrote.
According to state records, Krenwinkel was recommended for parole in May 2022 and again in May 2025. Newsom reversed both recommendations and ordered that she remain incarcerated.
The new recommendation does not ensure her release. The parole board must complete its review before Newsom decides whether to approve her freedom or reject the recommendation for a third time.
Until then, Krenwinkel remains at the California Institution for Women in Corona, where she is serving a life sentence. She entered the state prison system on April 28, 1971.
(L-R) Susan Denise Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten laugh after receiving the death sentence for their part in the Tate-LaBianca killing at the order of Charles Manson. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Krenwinkel was 21 when she joined members of Manson’s so-called “Family” in a two-night killing spree in August 1969 that claimed seven lives, including that of actress Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant.
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Newsom’s case summary says Krenwinkel and other Manson followers fatally stabbed Tate’s friend Abigail Folger and participated in attacks on several other victims. The following night, the group killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and scrawled bloody messages throughout their home.
Krenwinkel was initially sentenced to death, but that sentence was reduced to life in prison after California’s death penalty system was struck down in 1972.
The five victims were found slain on August 9, 1969. From left: Wojciech “Voytek” Frykowski, Sharon Tate, Steven Parent, Jay Sebring and Abigail Folger. (CPL Archives/Everett Collection)
Newsom has previously credited Krenwinkel with substantial rehabilitation, including earning college degrees and mentoring incarcerated women. However, he also raised concerns about her self-awareness and what he characterized as a tendency to shift blame for her crimes onto others.
Krenwinkel’s attorney, Keith Wattley, challenged those conclusions after Newsom overturned her October 2025 parole recommendation.
“Patricia Krenwinkel is the longest-incarcerated woman in the United States,” Wattley said at the time. “For more than five decades, she has committed to deep healing and rehabilitation, earning degrees, counseling others and becoming a mentor to younger women inside.”
Charles Manson is brought into the Los Angeles city jail under suspicion of having masterminded the Tate-LaBianca murders of August 1969. (Getty Images)
Wattley has argued that Krenwinkel no longer represents an unreasonable threat to public safety.
“Patricia’s record meets that standard. She deserves to be paroled,” he said.
News Outlet reached out to Wattley, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Newsom’s office for comment.
