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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →As of the latest reporting available through October 3, 2026, Bruce Davis is the most recent major update: he died in a California prison hospital in September 2026. Leslie Van Houten was released on parole in 2023, while Patricia Krenwinkel remains in custody after California’s governor reversed her 2025 parole recommendation. Charles Manson and Susan Atkins died in custody; other prominent figures were paroled years ago or were last reported in state custody in 2025. Public sources do not establish the current whereabouts of every former associate.
Where the best-known Manson Family members are now
The statuses below distinguish an actual release from a parole-board recommendation, a gubernatorial reversal, a dated custody report and a death in custody. The snapshot reflects the latest dated information identified for each person; it is not a live inmate roster.
| Person | Conviction or public role | Latest supported status | What the status means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Davis | Convicted in the murders of Gary Hinman and Donald “Shorty” Shea; not convicted in the Tate–LaBianca murders. | Died at age 83 in a California prison hospital on September 14, 2026, according to the Los Angeles Times’ September 2026 report. | Died in custody. |
| Patricia Krenwinkel | Convicted for her role in the Tate–LaBianca murders. | The California parole board recommended release on May 30, 2025; Governor Gavin Newsom reversed that recommendation in October 2025. Los Angeles Times reporting described her as remaining in custody. | A recommendation was made, but she was not released. No later 2026 status change is established here. |
| Leslie Van Houten | Convicted for her role in the LaBianca murders. | Released on parole on July 11, 2023, after an appellate court overturned the governor’s attempt to block her release. | Actual release on parole, not just a board recommendation. |
| Tex Watson | Convicted for his role in the Tate–LaBianca murders. | Reported in California state custody by the Los Angeles Times in October 2025. | A dated custody report; no later 2026 custody or parole update is established here. |
| Bobby Beausoleil | Convicted of Gary Hinman’s murder; not convicted in the Tate–LaBianca murders. | Reported in California state custody by the Los Angeles Times in October 2025. | A dated custody report; no later 2026 custody or parole update is established here. |
| Charles Manson | Leader of the group and convicted in the Tate–LaBianca murders. | Died in custody in 2017, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). | Died in custody. CDCR reported 12 parole denials between November 16, 1978, and April 11, 2012; that is the agency’s historical count for that period. |
| Susan Atkins | Convicted for her role in the Tate–LaBianca murders. | Died in prison in 2009, according to the Los Angeles Times’ historical status explainer. | Died in custody. |
| Steve “Clem” Grogan | Convicted in connection with Donald Shea’s murder. | Paroled in 1985, according to LAist’s member guide. | Released on parole. The cited reporting does not establish his present location. |
| Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme | Manson follower; separately convicted for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. | Released from federal prison in August 2009, according to the Los Angeles Times’ explainer. | Released after serving the sentence for the Ford assassination attempt, a crime separate from the Manson murder convictions. |
| Linda Kasabian | Received immunity for her testimony, according to the Los Angeles Times’ historical explainer. | Her current whereabouts are not established by the available reporting. | Do not infer a present location from older accounts. |
Why a parole recommendation is not the same as release
California parole proceedings can involve a board recommendation, gubernatorial review and, in some cases, appellate review. Those are separate steps. A recommendation by itself does not establish that a person left prison; the clearest example in this group is the contrast between Krenwinkel’s reversed recommendation and Van Houten’s confirmed 2023 release.
Krenwinkel’s 2025 recommendation was reversed
California’s 2025 executive review records Newsom’s reversal and cites concerns about Krenwinkel’s insight into the causes of her crimes, her role in them and her ability to manage risk. Those are the governor’s stated reasons for his decision, not an independent clinical finding. Her earlier 2022 parole recommendation was also reversed. The California review and Los Angeles Times coverage support the 2025 outcome; they do not establish a subsequent 2026 release.
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Van Houten’s release followed appellate review
Van Houten had received multiple parole recommendations and faced gubernatorial reversals. An appellate court overturned the governor’s attempt to block her release, and she left prison on parole in July 2023. The available reporting confirms the release but does not verify private details about her current daily life or location.
What the 2026 update says about Bruce Davis
The Los Angeles Times reported that Davis died in a California prison hospital in September 2026. His convictions concerned the murders of Hinman and Shea, not the Tate–LaBianca killings. In its account of a 2024 parole hearing, the newspaper quoted California Parole Board Commissioner Julie Garland as saying: “Your plan to reach out publicly about your story, which necessarily includes your involvement with the Manson family, would bring notoriety and glorification to that.” This was Garland’s assessment of Davis’s stated plan at that hearing; it should not be read as a general finding about parole.
Why the convictions and outcomes should not be lumped together
“The Manson Family” describes a group, not a single conviction shared by everyone associated with it. Some people were convicted for the Tate–LaBianca murders; Davis and Beausoleil were convicted in cases involving Hinman, and Grogan’s conviction was connected to Shea’s murder. Fromme’s federal sentence arose from her separate attempt to assassinate President Ford. Treating all of these cases as the same crime obscures both the individual convictions and the different legal outcomes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is not known about former associates
Older coverage of Linda Kasabian does not establish where she is now, and the source set does not verify current locations for every person who lived with or followed Manson. Likewise, parole years ago does not by itself establish a person’s present whereabouts. Where public reporting gives no current, reliable location, it is more accurate not to speculate.
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