Krenwinkel Wins Third Parole Grant; Newsom Faces Decision Again

Patricia Krenwinkel, the 78-year-old former Charles Manson follower convicted in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, has been granted parole for the third time by California's board of parole hearings. Governor Gavin Newsom, who has overturned each of her two previous approvals, now faces renewed pressure from her legal team to let this ruling stand.

A Decades-Long Incarceration

Krenwinkel has been behind bars longer than any other woman in California's prison system — nearly six decades since her 1971 conviction for her participation in one of the most notorious crime sprees in American history. Over two nights in August 1969, members of the Manson cult killed actress Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant, along with four of her companions, and separately murdered grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. Krenwinkel was 21 at the time of the killings and was 19 when she first came under Manson's influence, according to her attorneys, who describe her early involvement with the cult as a period of exploitation and psychological abuse.

A Record of Rehabilitation

Over the course of her imprisonment, Krenwinkel has maintained a clean disciplinary record. Nine consecutive psychological assessments spanning the last four decades have classified her as a low public safety risk, according to her longtime attorney Keith Wattley. She has pursued therapy and group counseling, earned a college degree, and trained service dogs for individuals with disabilities. Wattley, who founded the non-profit UnCommon Law and has represented Krenwinkel for 16 years, said in a statement reported by The Guardian World that she "fully accepts responsibility for her actions, everything she contributed to, and every life she destroyed in 1969."

"I have seen the depth of her remorse and the extraordinary work she has done to change her life," Wattley added, expressing confidence that she is prepared to reenter society.

Newsom's Prior Reversals

Newsom has blocked Krenwinkel's release twice before. After the parole board's 2022 approval, the governor acknowledged that she had endured abuse at Manson's hands and had made meaningful rehabilitative strides, yet concluded she lacked sufficient insight into her criminal behavior to be safely released. When he reversed a second parole grant in 2025, Newsom again cited the need for deeper self-examination, even while noting her serious chronic medical conditions. Her attorneys and advocates have argued consistently that the governor is responding to political considerations rather than the evidentiary standard the law requires.

The argument carries weight given parallel cases. A California appeals court ultimately overruled Newsom's repeated vetoes of parole for Leslie Van Houten, another former Manson follower, securing her release in 2023. Newsom also drew criticism for blocking the parole of Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy, despite support for his release from two of Kennedy's own sons. As a governor who has weighed in on contentious political and legal disputes across multiple fronts, Newsom's decisions in high-profile cases have frequently drawn public scrutiny.

Legal and Moral Stakes

Wattley is urging Newsom to honor both the law and the parole process itself. "If three parole grants don't lead to release, what is the point of this process?" he asked, framing the case as a test of whether rehabilitation can ever be sufficient grounds for freedom in a politically charged environment. The question resonates beyond this single case, as advocates across the country raise alarm about the growing population of elderly individuals serving extended sentences long past any credible threat to public safety.

Debra Tate, sister of victim Sharon Tate, has consistently opposed Krenwinkel's release and is expected to remain a vocal opponent.

Newsom's office had not issued a response to inquiries as of Wednesday. Under California law, the governor is required to weigh Krenwinkel's age and the fact that she committed the crimes as a young person when conducting his review. His decision, once again, will carry significant implications — both for Krenwinkel and for the credibility of California's parole system as a whole.

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