UPDATE
Oct 16, 2025 7:18 AM CDT
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made his decision and it's to keep the state's longest serving female prisoner behind bars. Newsom denied parole to former Manson Family member Patricia Krenwinkel for a second time this week, arguing she still "poses an unreasonable danger to society," per the Guardian. Krenwinkel was convicted of seven counts of murder tied to a 1969 killing spree but has been a model prisoner and apologized for her crimes in 2022. Her lawyer Keith Wattley notes the California Parole Board found her to be at low risk of future violence, per the Los Angeles Times. He calls Newsom's decision "100% political, directly contrary to the evidence and the controlling law."
Jun 4, 2025 11:30 AM CDT
Former Manson Family member Patricia Krenwinkel's 16th time before a California parole board went just like her 15th—with a thumbs-up—but she faces the same obstacle that prevented her from seeing freedom in 2022: the governor of California. As the Guardian reports, the state Board of Parole Hearings recommended Krenwinkel be granted parole on Friday after more than five decades in prison, which makes her the longest-serving female inmate in California. She's currently 77.
"Pat has fully accepted responsibility for everything she did, everything she contributed to, every twisted philosophy she embraced and endorsed, and, most importantly, every life she destroyed by her actions," said legal representative Keith Wattley, per the Los Angeles Times. "Patricia Krenwinkel should be paroled because California professes to believe in redemption and rehabilitation." What happens now: The parole board's legal office has to clear the decision, then it becomes official after 120 days. After that, it's sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk, who then has 30 days to say yea or nay. His office hasn't signaled his intentions, though he did reject the 2022 recommendation.
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