The record is clear: Neither Charles Manson nor none of his murderous followers have been released from prison so far, but attorney Rich Pfeiffer is hoping to change that.Pfeiffer represents Leslie Van Houten, 68, the youngest of the Manson followers, who has spent more than 40 years in prison.She and others were convicted in the murders of Los Angeles grocer Leno La Bianca and his wife, Rosemary, in their home on Aug. 9, 1969.A two-member panel in Chino, Calif., recommended Wednesday that Van Houten be paroled because she has radically changed her life and is no longer a threat to society.It was the 21st time that Van Houten, 68, has appeared before a parole board, and the second time that commissioners found her suitable for release.The ruling must still be approved by the state Parole Board and Gov. Jerry Brown, who reversed another panel's ruling last year."I feel absolutely horrible about it, and I have spent most of my life trying to find ways to live with it," Van Houten told the panel.Looking frail and on crutches after injuring her knee in a recent fall, she told the panel, "To tell you the truth, the older I get the harder it is to deal with all of this, to know what I did, how it happened."On the night of the attack nearly five decades ago, she said she held Rosemary La Bianca down with a pillowcase over her head as others stabbed her dozens of times. Then, ordered by Manson disciple Tex Watson to "do something," she picked up a butcher knife and stabbed the woman more than a dozen times.Van Houten, who was 19 at the time, was not with Manson followers the night before when they killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others during a similar bloody rampage.Having been a model prisoner, Van Houten's attorneys have argued that it's time she be released. Many others, including the families of the victims, oppose her release.The Los Angeles Times reports:
Charles Manson Follower Leslie Van Houten Recommended For Parole
