What Happened To Manson’s Lost Girls?
After the infamous 1969 murder spree dubbed “Helter Skelter,” one of the members of Charles Manson‘s “family,” Linda Kasabian who witnessed many of the murders, testified in court against Manson and fellow “Lost Girls” including Susan Atkins, Patricia “Katie” Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten. After testifying, Linda Kasabian was free and returned to New Hampshire with her husband Robert Kasabian and children. They later divorced. She’s still alive, but rarely gives interviews. Her last interview was on CNN’s Larry King Live in 2009. She wore a disguise.
[Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders is available on Amazon
Susan Atkins, Patricia “Katie” Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten all received death sentences but those were commuted to life in prison after the California Supreme Court’s People v. Anderson decision which invalidated all death sentences imposed in the state prior to 1972.
- Susan Atkins died in prison of natural causes in 2009, she was 61. (She wrote: Child of Satan, Child of God: Her Own Story)
- Patricia “Katie” Krenwinkel, 68, and Leslie Van Houten, 66, are the longest-incarcerated female inmates in the California penal system. In prison, Krenwinkel has earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Services form the University of La Verne. She’s been denied parole 13 times.
- Leslie Van Houten has been denied parole 20 times, the last time being in 2013. She and Krenwinkel will be eligible for parole again in 2018.
