Van Houten was born on August 23, 1949 in the Los Angeles suburb of Altadena to Paul Van Houten and Jane (née Edwards). She is of Irish, English, Scottish, Dutch, and German descent. She grew up in a middle-classchurchgoing

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After a few months in a commune in Northern California, Van Houten met Catherine Share and Bobby Beausoleil and moved in with them and another woman during the summer of 1968. The four broke up after jealous arguments, and Share left to join

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Motive
Manson, who denied responsibility, never explained a motive for the murders. Prosecutor

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Tex Watson, who had shot or stabbed all of the victims at the Tate and LaBianca murders and who inflicted most of the fatal or non-survivable injuries, was not arraigned with the others at the main 'Manson' trial, which covered both the Tate and LaBianca murders.

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After the first trial, Van Houten and her female co-conspirators Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkelwere housed in a special housing unit built at the California Institution for Women.

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Under California law, some life sentences are eligible for parole, and a parole board rejection of an application does not preclude a different

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Van Houten's parole hearings have appeared on Court TVand attracted nationwide media attention. They have featured comments from former prosecutors, relatives of

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