Leslie Van Houten, one of the members of the Manson Family, has claimed that the prosecutors are withholding a secret tape recording containing information that would likely result in her release at her upcoming parole hearing.
Richard Pfeiffer, the lawyer representing Van Houten, filed documents to prevent the L.A. District Attorney’s Office from making an appearance at her next parole hearing, according to TMZ. Van Houten’s legal team argues that the D.A. is in possession of audio tapes recorded back in 1969 and they should not be allowed to attend the hearing because they will not release the tapes.
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The secret tapes reportedly contain audio from serial killer Charles Manson’s right-hand man, Tex Watson. According to Van Houten, the tapes provide substantial evidence that she and the other killers in the Manson Family murdered people under Charles Manson’s direction and influence.
Essentially, Van Houten is making the argument that she has served 39 years in prison for a murder that she committed under Charles Manson’s mind control. Van Houten is now claiming that because she isn’t under Manson’s influence anymore, that she is no longer a threat to society.
The D.A. has a different opinion in regards to the secret tapes saying that there is nothing more than “rambling musings about LSD, secret worlds beneath Death Valley and bizarre racial theories.”
Leslie Van Houten’s parole hearing is set for September. Back in 1969, she was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after the gruesome killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
The judge has not made a decision yet as to whether or not the L.A. District Attorney’s office will be banned from the hearing.
In March of this year, Leslie Van Houten’s legal representatives submitted a 13-page dossier in an attempt to convince the parole board to release her.
In the court docs, psychologist Laurence Steinberg gave testimony in which he claims that Van Houten was too young to fully understand the consequences of what she was doing. Because she was only 19 at the time of the killing spree, Steinberg says Van Houten’s immaturity prevented her from being able to control her actions.
Steinberg also mentioned that Van Houten’s prison record indicates that she has changed since her days in the Manson Family. Learn more here.
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[H/T TMZ]
