[xtypo_dropcap]P[/xtypo_dropcap]atricia Krenwinkel, formerly a follower of cult leader Charles Manson during the Sharon Tate murders 40 years ago, was denied parole on Friday, according to several reports.
Krenwinkel, who has been behind bars longer than any other woman in California, was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder in 1969 for her role in the murders.
Sharon Tate, who was married to director Roman Polanski, was among the victims.
“This is a crime children grow up hearing about,” Parole Commissioner Susan Melanson said, according to CBS. “These crimes remain relevant.”
Krenwinkel, during the parole hearing, expressed remorse and regret for her actions.
“Everything that was good and decent in me I threw away,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
Her father came to visit her in prison and she realized “the monster I became,” she recounted, according to AP.
Krenwinkel, 63, gives counsel to others in prison. “I am someone you would never have wanted to be, and here are the steps you can take to never go to the dark places I have been,” she said.
She was one of five people who were part of Charles Manson’s group and went on a murder spree that left seven dead in 1969. All five of the Manson family members received the death penalty, but their sentences were reduced to life in prison following a ruling in the 1970s by the California Supreme Court.
However, the parole board found that she is still not eligible for parole and “would present an unreasonable danger if released,” Melanson said, AP reported.
She had maintained a clean prison record for the time that she spent in prison.
“I don’t buy it. I personally don’t buy it,” said Deborah Tate, the sister of Sharon Tate, at the hearing, according to CNN. “I want to believe the human condition is capable of change. I believe in the possibility of reform. But I know what I am looking at, and I don’t see it here.”
The other surviving female Manson follower, Leslie Van Houten, has appealed to the California parole board nearly 20 times.
Van Houten was denied parole last July.
Krenwinkel, who has been behind bars longer than any other woman in California, was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder in 1969 for her role in the murders.
Sharon Tate, who was married to director Roman Polanski, was among the victims.
“This is a crime children grow up hearing about,” Parole Commissioner Susan Melanson said, according to CBS. “These crimes remain relevant.”
Krenwinkel, during the parole hearing, expressed remorse and regret for her actions.
“Everything that was good and decent in me I threw away,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
Her father came to visit her in prison and she realized “the monster I became,” she recounted, according to AP.
Krenwinkel, 63, gives counsel to others in prison. “I am someone you would never have wanted to be, and here are the steps you can take to never go to the dark places I have been,” she said.
She was one of five people who were part of Charles Manson’s group and went on a murder spree that left seven dead in 1969. All five of the Manson family members received the death penalty, but their sentences were reduced to life in prison following a ruling in the 1970s by the California Supreme Court.
However, the parole board found that she is still not eligible for parole and “would present an unreasonable danger if released,” Melanson said, AP reported.
She had maintained a clean prison record for the time that she spent in prison.
“I don’t buy it. I personally don’t buy it,” said Deborah Tate, the sister of Sharon Tate, at the hearing, according to CNN. “I want to believe the human condition is capable of change. I believe in the possibility of reform. But I know what I am looking at, and I don’t see it here.”
The other surviving female Manson follower, Leslie Van Houten, has appealed to the California parole board nearly 20 times.
Van Houten was denied parole last July.
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