BY LOUISE LABIANCA
Love and logic do not always mesh together in neat, harmonious ways. This idea has occurred to me more than once as I try to reach a logical conclusion and accept that the woman who participated in the brutal murders of my father and step-mother has been released from jail. On July 11, 2023, Manson Family cult member Leslie Van Houten was released from prison on parole after serving 53 years. She was convicted in the murders of my dad, Leno LaBianca, and stepmother, Rosemary LaBianca, who were killed in their home on August 10, 1969.
More than once, I have combed through my memory bank in search of some kind of timeless quote that explains how to move forward peaceably. I am a reasonably spiritual person, and I understand the concept of forgiveness and letting things go for karmic purposes. I have heard over and over all month long that the murders were over half a century ago; that Van Houten is a changed woman with deep feelings of remorse; and that she is no longer a threat to society.
I have also heard that victims’ family members cannot be objective. We are perceived as illogical, unreasonable and subjective to the point that our voices might actually disrupt the cold, hard facts of the law. These perceptions are unfortunate. My love for my dad is timeless and real. Leno LaBianca was a lovable guy. He was warm and fun and people looked up to him in the community. He encouraged us to think deeply and with discernment. He was a great father and role model and he has been sorely missed by his family all these long years.
As my sister, Cory, recently explained, the reminder of what we lost and the void it has left on our children and on her grandchildren is heartbreaking. When my cousin, Aleta, called Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to find out why Van Houten was released, she said she was met with impatience and a brief explanation, followed by the click of the receiver. Perhaps the person on the other end of the line did not realize just how much she loved her Uncle Leno.
How could they know when the victims’ family members have been marginalized by the media all these years? The story of the Manson Family was evidently more important to the media.
We, the victims’ family, can be objective and think logically — even when we must ask ourselves, to quote Jay Sebring’s nephew Anthony Dimaria in his letter to Newsom, “Has the world gone mad?” (Sebring was also murdered by members of the Manson Family.)
Still, the tragedy has left me with traumatic memories. Fifty-four years next month since the murders of my dad and stepmother is a long, long time. In those decades, I have lost many loved ones over the natural course of a lifetime. Like many people who have faced tragedy at an early age, I suffer deeply. I do not cry at funerals; I mourn in private, sometimes for months or even years. Is this logical? Probably not.
I don’t pretend to be exceptionally knowledgeable about the law, but I do understand that something is askew here. In Dimaria’s letter to Newsom, he says that his parents and grandparents were promised by the Los Angeles District Attorney and police that none of the Manson Family members would ever be released from prison. Laws change. People change. I get that. But it’s not right. There is no justice for the victims or their families.
Louise LaBianca is the daughter of Leno LaBianca and the step-daughter of Rosemary LaBianca, both of whom were murdered by members of the Manson Family cult.
