conviction_status conviction birth_place conviction_penalty image_caption birth_date article_title birth_name image_name
incarcerated robbery , murder , and conspiracy cedar rapids , iowa , u.s. death , commuted to life imprisonment mug shot taken in 1999 23 august 1949 leslie van houten
 leslie louise van houten leslie van houten 1999.jpg
leslie van houten

leslie louise van houten -lrb- born august 23 , 1949 -rrb- is a former member of charles manson 's `` family '' who is in prison for 44 years for the murders of leno and rosemary labianca .
van houten was initially convicted at the main charles manson trial .
at trial van houten repeatedly dismissed defense lawyers for blaming her actions on manson 's control over her .
she also confessed to a murder she had not committed in an attempt to clear manson .
van houten , two other women , and manson were sentenced to be executed , but death penalties in the state were later commuted to life imprisonment .
due to the death of her lawyer during the trial , she was granted a re-trial at which the asserted defence was diminished responsibility from chronic use of hallucinogens having made her susceptible to manson 's influence .
the jury could not agree on a verdict .
at a third trial she was again convicted of two murders and given a life sentence .
in relation to her case courts ruled that in deciding to deny parole , the crime committed by an inmate could outweigh any evidence of their subsequent reform .
predictions have been made by former prosecutors in her case that her two murder convictions might not prevent her being released , although that would be without precedent in california .
