The youngest member of the infamous “Manson family” murder cult was pictured laughing before being sent to prison.
Leslie Van Houten met Charles Manson when she was just 19 years old – along with Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenweinkel.
In 1971, Van Houten was sentenced to life in prison for her role in helping Manson and his “family” murder Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in Los Angeles, US.
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But ahead of their sentencing, the trio were pictured laughing as they walked into the court on March 29, 1971.
Once in the courtroom, the girl hurled abuse at the judge until they were removed, along with Charles Manson.
The court heard that Van Houten had smeared the victim's blood on the walls following the violent murder, as reported by the Mirror.
Later describing how she held Rosemary La Bianca down with a pillowcase over her head while other members stabbed her half a dozen times.
The brutal murders occurred the day after Manson and four members of his cult were sentenced for the murder of actress Sharon Tate.
Van Houten did not participate in the Tate murder.
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The OAP has spent more than five decades behind bars, and while she was eligible for parol in 2020, her release was blocked with claims she was still a danger to society.
She first filed an appeal with a trial court, which rejected it, and then turned to the appellate courts.
The appellate court's ruling in May reversed an earlier decision by Governor of California Gavin Newsom, who rejected parole for Ms Van Houten in 2020.
However, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation the killer, 73, has been “released to parole supervision” and is expected to remain in this state for around a year.
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She will during this time be given life coaching on a range of basic things including how to go and do a food shop and use the banks, her attorney Nancy Tetreault said.
Tetreault said that she left the California Institution for Women in Corona, east of Los Angeles, in the early morning hours and was driven to transitional housing.
Ms Tetreault said: "She is still trying to get used to the idea that this is real."
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Mr Newsom's office said the governor was disappointed by the decision.
In a statement issued on July 7, the governor's office said: "More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims' families still feel the impact."
Manson died in prison in 2017 of natural causes at age 83 after nearly half a century behind bars.
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