It was in the early hours of August 9, 1969. One of the most infamous nights in history.
At the behest of a career criminal and cult leader named Charles Manson, four members of his so-called "family" -- Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel -- descended on a house on Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, north of Beverly Hills, Calif. There they brutally slaughtered five people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate.
The very next night, seven family members -- all four from the Tate murders along with Leslie Van Houten, Steve Grogan and Manson himself -- went to the residence of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles and killed them both.
The crimes made national headlines and struck fear in the hearts of Los Angeles-area residents. That fear spread across the nation -- even to the Twin Cities. You didn't know where these killers would strike next.
The investigation took several months, but by December police arrested the suspects.
Manson, Krenwinkel, Atkins and Van Houten went on trial in June of 1970. They were convicted and sentenced to death. Kasabian took a deal, testified and was granted immunity. Watkins was tried later and got death. Grogan was sentenced to death in another Manson family killing, but a judge resentenced him to life in 1971.
In 1972 the California Supreme Court ruled capital punishment unconstitutional. All the remaining death sentences were reduced to life -- with the possibility of parole.
Tex Watson remains in prison, as do Steve Grogan and Patricia Krenwinkel. Susan Atkins died in 2009, still incarcerated. Linda Kasabian, who recived immunity, died free last year at 73.
Charles Manson, the all-too-real boogeyman of the 20th Century, lived on in prison for decades, dying in November of 2017 at the age of 83.
Leslie Van Houten has been in the headlines over the past few years. She has been recommended for parole five times since 2016, but former Gov. Jerry Brown and current Gov. Gavin Newsom have overturned that decision all five times.
On Tuesday, a three-judge Caifornia appeals court ruled 2 to 1 that Van Houten should be released on parole, saying she "has shown extraordinary rehabilitative efforts, insight, remorse, realistic parole plans, support from family and friends."
Rehabilitation is all well and good. But there are crimes so vile, so horrifying, that justice demands a life sentence means life.
From all indications Newsom remains opposed to Van Houten's release and still has some options that could delay or quash her parole.
We hope he pursues those options. Because Leslie Van Houten is exactly where she belongs.