California parole board recommends release of Manson family killer after more than five decades behind bars

A California parole board has recommended the release of Patricia Krenwinkel, a former Manson family member who was convicted in the heinous August 1969 murders that left seven people dead, after more than five decades in federal prison.

According to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the decision will now be passed up to the Board of Parole Hearings Legal Division for review after which it would be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom for approval.

Although Newsom has previously denied parole for other Manson family members, the Democratic governor’s office released a statement noting that the decision is still under review and referred to the state's website for more information on the process, the Guardian reported.

"In all cases that reach him, the Governor carefully reviews parole decisions to determine whether a parole grant is consistent with public safety," the statement read.

Krenwinkel, 74, was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder for her involvement in the August 1969 Manson family killings. The victims of the infamous murder include pregnant actress Sharon Tate, who was married to director Roman Polanski, Folger Coffee heiress Abigail Folger and celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, CNN reported.

In 2016, the former secretary testified that she was just 19 years old and living with her older sister when she first met Manson at a party. According to her testimony, she soon left everything and followed him because she thought there was a chance that the relationship could develop romantically but was ultimately physically, mentally and sexually abused.

At her last parole hearing, Krenwinkel told officials how she repeatedly stabbed 26-year-old Abigail Folger at Tate’s home in 1969. The next day, after Manson told her to “do something witchy,” she stabbed LaBianca in the stomach with a fork before using his blood to write “Helter Skelter,” “Rise,” and “Death to Pigs” on the walls of the house.

Krenwinkel and the other Manson family members were initially sentenced to death, but were resentenced to life with the possibility of parole in 1972 after California briefly ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional.