Month: July 2023

Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, who was convicted in two killings, was released on parole on Tuesday after serving more than five decades in prison.

Houten was originally sentenced to death for the Aug. 10, 1969, murders of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca. According to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: “The original conviction and death sentence were reversed on appeal and she was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.”

An appeals court ruled in May that Van Houten, 73, was eligible for parole, reversing a decision by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to reject parole. The release of Houten comes after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Friday that he would not challenge Houten’s release in the state Supreme Court. Newsom had previously blocked parole efforts for Houten.

In 1969, Manson and fellow cult member Charles “Tex” Watson went inside the La Bianca’s home and tied them up. According to court records, Manson went outside and told Van Houten and another person to go inside and follow Watson’s directions; he told them to kill Rosemary LaBianca, and Watson killed Leno LaBianca. The previous day, Watson and other cult members (excluding Van Houten) killed actress Sharon Tate and others in her home.

Van Houten is the second of six Manson cult followers convicted of murder. She was initially sentenced to death to be paroled; however, most of the death sentences were commuted to life in prison under a 1972 court decision that outlawed capital punishment; the death penalty was later reinstated in California.

Manson died at a hospital in 2017 while serving a life sentence. Members of what was dubbed the “Manson Family” included Watson, who is serving life in prison; Susan Atkins, who died in prison in 2009, and Patricia Krenwinkel, who is serving a life sentence.

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that after a year of opposition, Turkey has agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance, calling the moment a “historic step.”

Stoltenberg said that Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to send the accession protocol to the Turkish parliament for approval as soon as possible, noting that Erdogan would “ensure ratification …Sweden will become a full member of the alliance.”

Most alliance members have supported Sweden’s efforts to join the defense organization in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, however, has maintained its opposition to Sweden’s bid for more than a year. Sweden is one of several countries in Europe that has welcomed the Kurdish diaspora and Stockholm has been host to several protests in support of the Kurdish Worker’s Party — that is officially considered a terrorist group by Sweden and Turkey.

The news comes after Stoltenberg held talks between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson the evening before the NATO summit was slated to begin in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday. President Biden also spoke with Erdogan on Monday over the phone, and the two discussed Sweden’s membership bid. On the call, they decided to meet in person in Vilnius on Tuesday.

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Disgraced former Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another inmate at a federal prison in Florida. The 59-year-old Nassar was stabbed twice in the neck, twice in the back and six times in the chest, and also suffered a collapsed lung in the Sunday attack, said Joe Rojas, president of Local 506, which represents employees at the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Central Florida. Nassar was listed in stable condition.

The federal Bureau of Prisons said an inmate was assaulted at Coleman at 2:35 p.m. Sunday, but declined to identify the prisoners involved. Officials said staff provided life-saving measures and the inmate was taken to a local hospital for treatment:  “No staff or other inmates were injured and at no time was the public in danger. An internal investigation is ongoing,”adding that the FBI was also notified.

Nassar worked at Michigan State University and at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, traveling the world with elites of the sport. He was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic medalists. He is serving time behind bars for convictions in both state and federal courts. He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment for hip and leg injuries. At his trial, more than 150 accusers spoke out or submitted statements detailing his abuse. The sports doctor also separately pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.

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