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Member of Charles Manson’s Cult who killed 7, recommended for parole

Published 18:07 27 May 2022 BST

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Krenwinkel has been denied parole 14 times, with the most recent in 2017

A former member of Charles Manson's cult has been recommended for parole 50-years after the 1969 Manson family murders. Patricia Krenwinkel, 74, was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder for her part in the infamous massacre of 1969. Among the dead were pregnant actress Sharon Tate, heiress Abigail Folger, celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. [caption id="attachment_338686" align="alignnone" width="2048"]

Via Getty[/caption] Krenwinkel has been denied parole 14 times, but a recent change in the law has altered how parole requests are dealt with. Governor Gavin Newsom, who has previously rejected the parole recommendations of Manson followers, will have five months to decide the state parole board's legal division. New laws mean that parole panels now have to take into account that Krenwinkel was 21 at the time of her crimes and is now an elderly pensioner. "She's completely transformed from the person she was when she committed this crime, which is all that it's supposed to take to be granted parole," said Krenwinkel's attorney, Keith Wattley. "I'm hopeful that the governor recognises that he shouldn't be playing political games with people's lives." "The governor would be blocking her parole not because he's afraid of her, but because he doesn't like her. And the law doesn't allow that," he added. After her fellow Manson follower Susan Atkins died of cancer in 2009, Krenwinkel became California's longest-serving female inmate. Previous parole hearings heard how Manson physically and emotionally abused Krenwinkel while also trafficking her to other men.