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How did California’s abolition of capital punishment affect the Manson Family convictions?
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Charles Manson
Cult leader Charles Manson being transported to a courthouse in Independence, California, 1969.
Following their convictions in 1971 for the Tate-LaBianca murders, Charles Manson and several of his followers were originally sentenced to death.123
However, in 1972, California abolished capital punishment, which resulted in the commutation of these death sentences to life imprisonment. While this change in law made the convicted individuals eligible for parole, most of their subsequent petitions were denied.2431
Over the following decades, most of the primary conspirators remained incarcerated for the duration of their lives, with the exception of Leslie Van Houten, who was granted parole and released in 2023.12