California Board Makes Third Krenwinkel Parole Recommendation

Patricia Krenwinkel, 78, received a preliminary parole recommendation at her 18th suitability hearing for the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, in which seven people were killed. It is her third board approval after grants in May 2022 and May 30, 2025. Governor Gavin Newsom reversed both, the latest on October 13, 2025. She was convicted in 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder. Her death sentence was commuted to life after a 1972 California Supreme Court ruling. She has served 57 years and is the longest-serving woman in California state prison. Officials said all grants are proposed decisions until board and governor review. The victims were Sharon Tate, Thomas Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca, and Rosemary LaBianca. Attorney Keith Wattley urged Newsom to let the ruling stand, saying she is ready to return home, and asked what the point of the process is if three grants do not lead to release. Newsom previously found she posed an unreasonable danger despite efforts to improve herself in prison. Debra Tate opposed release in an online petition. Next are a 120-day board review and a 30-day governor window; reversal would mean another hearing within 18 months.