Convicted Manson Family Murderer Leslie Van Houten, 73, Released from Prison After Five Decades

Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten, 73, was released from prison after being convicted of murder over five decades ago, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Van Houten left the federal correctional facility in Corona, California, on Tuesday and was sent to a halfway house after being granted parole earlier this month.

The former Manson Family member was charged and convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder for the brutal 1969 deaths of Leno and Rosemary LaBlanca in Los Angeles.

The LaBlancas were killed during a murder spree orchestrated by cult leader Charles Manson and follower Tex Watson. Manson's devoted followers carried out his evil desires over two days, between August 8-10, 1969.

Director Roman Polanski's Benedict Canyon home was the Manson Family's first target.

While Polanski was not home at the time of the murders, his pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, was. The four cult members invaded the home and killed Tate as well as coffee fortune heiress Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, Stephen Parent, and Voytek Frykowsk.

Despite not being present for the attack, Van Houten was an active player in Manson's sick games. The night after the savage Tate murders, Van Houten, Manson, and Steve Grogan joined the four members for the next planned attack.

After the group debated potential targets, member Linda Kasabian drove to the LaBlanca's Los Feliz home. At the home, Manson left with three followers while Van Houten and two others stayed behind to kill the couple.

Initially, Van Houten claimed she only held Rosemary down as she was stabbed to death. She later confessed to stabbing Rosemary after she was dead.

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Van Houten's parole had been a controversial topic for decades and was challenged on three different occasions by Governor Gavin Newsom, who eventually declined to fight Van Houten's release this week.

Since her 1971 conviction, lawyers argued that the young and impressionable Van Houten, who joined the Manson Family when she was 19 years old, was brainwashed and controlled by the sadistic cult leader. Manson routinely gave his followers illicit substances like LSD, in addition to alienating followers from friends and family.

Van Houten's lawyers argued that the 73-year-old no longer posed a threat to society and had been rehabilitated since her conviction.