Former Manson family member returns to parole board

Manson family member Leslie Van Houten said her parole hearing had "gotten too big" for her to handle without an attorney, and she did not want to be part of a "media circus." (AP Photo)

				THE MANSON PAROLE HEARINGS
				Charles Manson's Parole Hearings Bruce Davis' Parole Hearing (1998) Van Houten's Parole Hearings (1992 and 1996) Van Houten's Parole Hearing (1998) Van Houten's Parole Hearing (July, 1999) Van Houten Hearing Update (July, 1999)

FRONTERA, Calif. (Court TV)— In the days before what was to be her 14th parole board hearing, there was an air of optimism — and perhaps anticipation — surrounding former Manson family member Leslie Van Houten.

The California Board of Prison Terms had scheduled her hearing for last July, only a year after her last, causing courtroom observers to speculate that Van Houten, 49, would become the first Manson family member to win parole. Since prisoners can only be denied parole for three years at a time in California, some thought the one-year gap between hearings was a good sign for Van Houten.

But when Van Houten appeared before the parole board July 7, she appeared shaken and upset. Van Houten expressed concern over media coverage — and the possible exploitation — of her case. Van Houten said her parole hearing had "gotten too big" for her to handle without an attorney, and she did not want to be part of a media circus.

Van Houten said the media, and, in particular, Bill Nelson, a true crime author who maintains a website, were profiting from her story and therefore she did not want to proceed with the hearing. Van Houten said she objected to the presence of cameras and complained that Nelson was selling videotapes of her parole hearings on the Internet.

"I feel that this has gotten a little out of hand and I believe that there is really no reason for the camera to be in the board room when it's being somehow gotten to and sold for profit," Van Houten said. "I believe that the Internet has become a place where there is a lot of exploiting of violence and this man [Bill Nelson] has a shopping list and I'm part of it, and if you allow the camera in here then I'm partaking in this, and I can't do this."

The media has been following Van Houten's case for 30 years. She was convicted for her role in the Manson family's 1969 murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and of conspiracy to commit murder in actress Sharon Tate's slaying. Devoted to Charles Manson's vision, the Manson family planned to blame the murders on African-Americans and start a race war. Originally sentenced to the death penalty, Van Houten's sentence was commuted to three concurrent life terms when the death penalty was abolished in California in 1972. (It has since been reinstated.)

In 1977, Van Houten became the first Manson family member to receive a new trial when an appeals court ruled she had inadequate representation because her attorney died the night before closing arguments. Although her second trial ended in a hung jury, Van Houten was convicted again in her third trial and again received three concurrent life sentences.

Some critics suggest Van Houten's media protests were not so noble and reflected her wariness of the presence of some victims' relatives at the July hearing. For the first time, a member of the LaBianca family, Angela Smaldino, was at the hearing to object to Van Houten's parole. Smaldino did not get the chance to speak and critics say her appearance led to Van Houten's request for postponement.

Nelson, the chief object of Van Houten's protests, responded to her charges by saying, "I have as much right to be here with a non-press pass as the lady to my right ... "

Nelson, who ghostwrote a book with Alice LaBiana, the ex-wife of Leno LaBianca and worked as a consultant for Court TV on a segment about the Manson family killings, acknowledged that he believes Van Houten should not be paroled.

"That's the problem," Nelson said, "I'm against them and I'm friends with the victims' family."

Nelson said that his website made very little money and that sometimes sales did not even cover the costs of production. While 1.5 million viewers have logged on in the past two years, Nelson said, only about "one half of one percent" actually buy anything.

During Van Houten's 1998 parole hearing, Alice LaBianca submitted a letter opposing Van Houten's attempts to be released. Part of the letter read:

"Leslie Van Houten chose her own path. She chose to follow the instructions of Charles Manson. She chose drug-crazed killers as her family, and she became one of them. But what about my family? When do we get our parole? When does Leno get his parole? Sympathy for these killers, and especially this one, is misplaced..."

The letter was the LaBianca family's first expression of opposition to Van Houten's parole.

Still, prison officials say Van Houten is no longer the devoted Manson disciple who once carved an X in her forehead to demonstrate her devotion. Since her incarceration, Van Houten has earned a Master's and Bachelor's degree. Van Houten works as an office clerk in prison, and according to officials, she has been a model prisoner who has never been the subject of a disciplinary report.

When she opted to represent herself before the parole board in 1996 and 1998, she appeared articulate and poised.

"No one at 48 is the same as they were at 19," Van Houten said at the 1998 hearing. "I will live with that [the murders] forever, and I have learned to live with it the best way I know how."

Despite Van Houten's apparent progress, her past is her greatest obstacle. Prosecutor Stephen Kay, who has attended every parole hearing for every Manson family member, is expected to stress that Van Houten actively participated in three of the nation's most brutal murders and that she still has not sufficiently paid for her crimes.

If the Board of Prison Terms grants Van Houten parole, she will not be released from jail immediately. The board will have to specifically decide how many years Van Houten should spend in prison for murder. Then the board will subtract the time Van Houten has already spent in prison along with good behavior credits and determine her remaining time in prison. Even if paroled, it is likely Van Houten will still have to spend several more years in prison.

— Bryan Robinson