Shivangi Sinha
When the crimes of Charles Manson came to light, what was baffling to see was the group of women who were following him, many of whom had also committed crimes at his behest. One of them was Patricia Krenwinkel, one of the first members to become a part of the Manson Family and someone who participated in the Tate-LaBianca killings of 1969. In the aftermath of the crimes, Patricia remained loyal to Manson and showed her solidarity through various means. Netflix’s ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes’ gives an insight into their crimes and how the members were eventually arrested.
Patricia Krenwinkel Met Charles Manson and Was Admittedly Taken By His Charms
Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel was born on December 3, 1947. Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother was a homemaker, which made her early years quite normal. She attended University High School and then Westchester High School, but it was not the easiest time for her. She later admitted that she suffered from low self-esteem and body image issues while growing up. Her parents’ divorce, which came about when she was just 17 years old, was not easy either. Patricia stayed with her father until she graduated from school and eventually moved to Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. She had previously taught catechism and considered becoming a nun, so she thought a Jesuit college would be the right place for her.
After just one semester, she decided to drop out and move back to California. She started working as a processing clerk and, meanwhile, stayed with her half-sister in Manhattan Beach. She was there when she met Charles Manson for the first time, along with Lynette Fromme and Mary Brunner, in 1967. She has claimed that she and Manson became intimate on the first night they met, and she admitted that she was smitten by him. She has said that she had no qualms about leaving behind her apartment, her car, her last payment, basically her whole life, to follow Manson wherever he went. She was given the nickname Katie. The group started on a road trip across San Francisco and lived a nomadic life for a while.
Patricia Krenwinkel Fled to Alabama Shortly After the Tate-LaBianca Killings
Patricia was in a group with other girls when they gave a lift to Dennis Wilson, from The Beach Boys, and stayed with the group as they moved on to Spahn Ranch. She later said that Manson allegedly kept her in a drug-induced state all the time and that she was allegedly abused by him physically and emotionally. Patricia was a participant in both the Tate and LaBianca killings. She has admitted that she was the one who stabbed Abigail Folger. She was also primarily involved in the stabbing of Rosemary LaBianca and left messages in the home written in blood. On August 16, 1969, when the Manson Family was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, Patricia was on the farm and was also taken into custody. Because of a date error, she and the rest of them were eventually let go.
After the killings and her release from arrest, Patricia Krenwinkel moved to Alabama and kept a low profile. After Susan Atkins’ confession, Patricia was arrested at her aunt’s home in Mobile, Alabama, on December 1, 1969. She was indicted on seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. In February 1970, when she waived her extradition rights, she was moved to California. In March 1971, she was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death. After California’s law resulted in the commutation of her death sentence, she was handed down a life sentence.
Patricia Krenwinkel is in a Prison in California Today
In the beginning, when Patricia Krenwinkel began her sentence, she remained in support of Charles Manson, but over time, she distanced herself from the killer. She became active in prison programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and even used her time behind bars to earn a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from the University of La Verne. She gave an interview to Diane Sawyer in 1994, during which she expressed regret for taking a life and said that she was remorseful. She also blamed Manson for ordering the killings.
Patricia has been denied parole more than 50 times to date. In May 2022, a parole board panel found her suitable for release for the first time, but Governor Gavin Newsom reversed that decision five months later. Her legal appeal against the ruling was dismissed. In May 2025, she was again found suitable for release, but family members of her victims signed petitions asking that she remain imprisoned, and the decision was reversed. She is now the longest-incarcerated woman in California and is being held at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Corona, California. She is expected to become eligible for parole again in October 2026.
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