Leslie Van Houten, a disciple of notorious serial killer Charles Manson, has been released from prison after serving more than five decades for her participation in two infamous murders. Van Houten, now 73, received a life sentence for helping Manson"s followers carry out the August 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary. The double murder was among at least nine grisly murders committed by members of the Manson cult in the city that summer, and which had a chilling effect across southern California. Van Houten"s most recent bid for release after a 2020 hearing found her suitable for parole was blocked by California"s current governor, Gavin Newsom, who maintained she was still a threat to society. However, Van Houten successfully appealed the decision to a US Court of Appeal, which reversed Newsom"s rejection. Newsom has previously said he was disappointed by the decision but would not challenge her release. Van Houten was released on "parole supervision" from the California Institution for Women in Corona, east of Los Angeles, in the early hours of Tuesday and driven to transitional housing, California prison authorities said. Van Houten"s release had been expected after Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that he would give up trying to deny parole for the 73-year-old, who was serving a life sentence. In May, a California appeals court overruled Newsom and found Van Houten was entitled to parole. The governor opted against petitioning the California Supreme Court to review the case, stating that "efforts to further appeal are unlikely to succeed." Van Houten is the first member of the Manson family to receive parole stemming from convictions related to the seven murders committed in August 1969. Her attorney, Nancy Tetreault, stated that Van Houten had been a model prisoner and had been involved in therapy for 40 years, emphasizing that she is a different person now. Van Houten was just 19 years old when the murders were committed, making her the youngest of Manson"s followers. The parole board had recommended her for early release five times since 2016, but she was denied three times by Newsom and twice by his predecessor, Jerry Brown. Charles Manson, who became one of the 20th Century"s most notorious criminals, died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83. He directed his mostly young