Manson Family's Bruce Davis Granted Parole; Gov. Jerry Brown to Reverse or Affirm Decision
The Manson family's Bruce Davis has been granted parole. The former member of the notorious Manson Family cult, who is a two-time convicted murderer, was granted parole on Thursday, but California Prison officials were quick to point out that the decision was subject to mandatory review and could still be reversed.
The 69-year-old Davis was imprisoned in 1972 when he was given a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering music teacher Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea.
This is not the first time that Davis has been granted parole; in 2010 he was also given parole, but that decision was then subsequently reversed by former-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Another member of the Manson Family cult, Steve Grogan, was already released on parole in the mid-1980's. He was convicted of murdering Donald Shea, operating under the command of the group leader Charles Manson.
The Manson Family remain a hugely controversial cult that came to prominence in the 1960's. A group of outcasts were brought together by the notorious Charles Manson, and together committed a series of horrifying killings that shocked America.
In 1969 Manson ordered his followers to kill seven people. Prosecutors suggested he did this to try and incite a race war between whites and blacks in the United States at the time.
Manson himself is serving a life sentence for those killings, as well as the murder of Hinman.
The latest decision to grant parole to Davis remains a controversial one, and the decision is subject to a 120-day review period by the Board of Parole Hearings. Governor Jerry Brown could reverse the decision like his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or affirm the decision.
