Netflix’s new crime documentary, Chaos: The Manson Murders, explores the infamous Manson Family members, including Leslie Van Houten, and her involvement in some of the shocking and horrific murders in the history of the United States. The Netflix crime documentary explores the criminal activity of Charles Manson and how he was able to manipulate young people into committing murder in Los Angeles, California in the late 1960s. Adapted from the 2019 book by Tom O’Neill, it offers new insights into the infamous murders ordered by Charles Manson and how young people, such as Leslie Van Houten, were radicalized.

Born in 1949, Leslie Van Houten grew up in a normal family household but began using marijuana and LSD at the age of 15, impacting her education and relationships. She was introduced to Charles Manson in 1968 when she was 19, and joined Manson and his other followers at his base in Spahn Ranch, California. Van Houten was involved in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969. The latest of Netflix’s growing list of terrifying true-crime documentaries shows Van Houten explaining how she became involved with Manson and how he was able to convince her to commit murder.

Leslie Van Houten Was Sentenced To Death For The Manson Family Murders

Her Death Sentence Was Commuted To Life In Prison In 1972

Chaos: The Manson Murders explores Leslie Van Houten’s involvement with the LaBianca murders on the night of August 10, 1969. In the documentary, through archival footage, Van Houten revealed that Manson came to her before the murders and asked her “Do you believe enough in what I say to know that this is something that has to be done?” to which she responded, “Yes, I do.” After Manson and Tex Watson tied up Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, before Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel ransacked the house for money. Manson then ordered Watson, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten to murder the LaBiancas.

The documentary reveals that Van Houten forced Rosemary LaBianca onto her bed while Leo LaBianca was attacked in the living room. Van Houten later stated that Rosemary LaBianca could hear the murder of her husband and “started calling out to him and yelling to him” before she was stabbed 41 times by Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Tex Watson. Van Houten confessed to stabbing Rosemary LaBianca 16 times and stated that “Manson had told [Tex] had told him to make sure that all of us got our hands dirty” and that there was “no mercy” involved.

Alongside her fellow Manson Family members, Leslie Van Houten was arrested and charged with murder; she was only charged in connection to the LaBianca murders as she was not present during the Tate murders. On March 29, 1971, she was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death; at age 21, Leslie Van Houten was the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in the state of California. In 1972, the death penalty was abolished in California, and the death sentences of those convicted of the Tate-LaBianca murders were commuted to life imprisonment (via NPR).

Leslie Van Houten Was Released On Parole In 2023

Van Houten Was Incarcerated For 53 Years

In 1977, Leslie Van Houten’s original conviction was overturned after her lawyer died during the first trial (via All That’s Interesting). After two retrials, in 1978, she was given a prison sentence of seven years to life, with the possibility of parole. During her incarceration at the California Insтιтution for Women, Leslie Van Houten was denied parole more than 20 times, with California governor, Gavin Newsom, stating during her 2019 parole hearing that he was “concerned by her role in these killings and her potential for future violence” in society (via UPI).

In 2023, a California Court of Appeal overruled Newsom’s decision to deny parole to Van Houten, with the appeal stating that the rejection “failed to account for the decades of therapy, self-help programming and reflection Van Houten has undergone in the past 50 years” (via Los Angeles Times).

On July 11, 2023, Leslie Van Houten was released on parole after serving more than 53 years in prison. She is the only Manson Family member connected to the Tate-LaBianca murders to be released from prison. Sharon Tate’s sister, Debra, opposed the decision, stating in an interview that she hopes that Van Houten “gets a flashback of the screams, the grunts, the blood” (via ABC News).

Where Leslie Van Houten Is Now

Leslie Van Houten Has Expressed Remorse For Her Involvement In The Manson Murders

Upon her release from prison, Leslie Van Houten was moved to transitional housing at an undisclosed location by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. According to her attorney, Nancy Tetreault, Van Houten is “still trying to get used to the idea that this is real” after being incarcerated for decades, and that she will remain under parole supervision for at least three years (via ᴀssociated Press). According to Tetreault, Van Houten will receive help in adjusting to the changes in society and will have a discharge review after her first year on parole.

In the years since her initial murder conviction, Leslie Van Houten has expressed remorse for her involvement in the Manson Family Murders. Upon reflection on her time with Manson, Van Houten stated that she believed in Manson’s prophecies “lock, stock, and barrel” and she “took [everything] at face value” without caring about any consequences (via BBC). As shown throughout Chaos: The Manson Murders, Charles Manson owned the skills and mindset to manipulate young people, like Leslie Van Houten, to follow his beliefs and carry out his plans, which resulted in one of the most horrific murder cases of all time.

Sources: NPR, All That’s Interesting, UPI, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, ᴀssociated Press, BBC,