Manson killer Patricia Krenwinkel granted parole again after nearly 6 decades behind bars

Former Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel, who is serving a life sentence for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, has been recommended for parole again, state officials confirmed today.

Krenwinkel, 78, was granted preliminary parole Tuesday during his 18th subsequent fitness hearing, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“All parole releases are proposed decisions and only become final after a thorough and complete review by the Board of Parole Hearings and the Governor,” CDCR officials said in a statement.

Krenwinkel was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder in 1971 for participating with fellow Manson Family members Charles “Tex'” Watson and Leslie Van Houten in the August 9, 1969, murders of actress Sharon Tate, seven months pregnant, Thomas Jay Sebring, Abigail Ann Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Earl Parent and the murders of grocers Leno and Rosemary. LaBianca the next day.

She was initially sentenced to death, but her sentence was reduced to life in prison under a California Supreme Court ruling that invalidated all death sentences before 1972.

Krenwinkel was last granted parole on May 30, 2025, but Governor Gavin Newsom overturned the decision on October 13, 2025.

In his decision, Newsom praised Krenwinkel for his “efforts to better himself in prison,” including earning multiple college degrees and maintaining “an excellent disciplinary history.”

But he concluded those factors were outweighed by concerns about the potential danger she posed to the public.

“Considered as a whole, I find that the evidence shows that she currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time. Therefore, I reverse the decision to grant Ms. Krenwinkel parole,” Newsom wrote.

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A parole board committee also recommended that Krenwinkel be released on parole in May 2022, but Newsom reversed that decision later that year.

Under California law, parole commissioners must determine whether an incarcerated person currently poses an unreasonable risk to public safety, according to the CDCR. The review includes risk assessment tools, evaluations by forensic psychologists, the inmate’s prison record, parole plans and impact statements.

The preliminary decision in Krenwinkel’s case is subject to a 120-day review by the Board of Parole Hearings. Since she was convicted of murder, the governor then has an additional 30 days to review the decision and can uphold or overturn it.

If the governor overturns the parole decision, Krenwinkel will be summoned for another hearing within 18 months of Tuesday’s hearing, according to CDCR.