Manson follower denied parole for 19th time

CHINO, Calif. (AP) — The aging inmate, her face wrinkled with time and her gray hair drawn in a bun, listened as her lawyer argued that the Leslie Van Houten seated before the parole board is a changed woman from the young Charles Manson follower who participated in two savage murders 41 years ago.

“People can and do change,” attorney Brandie Devall said.

But the two-member panel was unswayed Tuesday, and Van Houten was denied a parole date for a 19th time and told to come back to the board in three years.

Van Houten, who last appeared before a parole board in 2007, showed no response to the decision and was taken back to her cell.

The only words the 60-year-old spoke during the hearing at the California Institution for Women were from a prepared statement apologizing to the family of her victims. She also gave the family members a private letter.

“I apologize for the pain I caused,” she said.