Patricia Krenwinkel: From Manson Groupie to Model Prisoner
The Tate-LaBianca murders and subsequent trials captivated a nation at a time when peace and love was supposed to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. People wanted answers. They wanted to know what kind of “monsters” could commit such inhuman acts and if it were even conceivable that those same monsters could be rehabilitated.
The young men and women who got involved with Manson were mesmerized by his lifestyle and drawn to his character. One of these individuals was Patricia Krenwinkel, who was later renamed “Katie” by Manson.
Patricia Krenwinkel was born December 3, 1947, in Los Angeles, California. Her father was an insurance salesman, and her mother was a homemaker. Her half-sister, Charlene, from her mother’s previous marriage, was six-and-a-half years older. Patricia attended University High School and later Westchester High School. She was very unpopular due to a weight issue and an endocrine disorder that caused excessive hair growth on her body. These issues resulted in very low self-esteem, which, coupled with her parents’ divorce when she was seventeen, served only to lower her outlook on life.
After high school, Patricia moved to Alabama to attend a Catholic college. She entertained the thought of becoming a nun but dropped out of college after her first semester and returned to California. When she returned, she took a secretarial job and moved in with her half-sister.
One night in 1967, when returning from work, she found the Manhattan Beach apartment full of her sister’s acquaintances. Among them was a shabby, stoop-shouldered man with a guitar named Charles Manson. The two struck up a conversation and later that night, Patricia made love to Manson. He told her she was beautiful and, having not heard that from a man before, she was drawn to him. Manson, using her vulnerability, quickly had her mesmerized and willing to follow him anywhere.
Patricia headed north with Manson and spent the next 18 months on a sex-and-drug-filled tour of the American West in an old bus. Along the way, the number of Manson’s followers grew, and they eventually convinced George Spahn to let them live on his Spahn Movie Ranch. Patricia quickly became the surrogate mother for the many illegitimate children in the group. She was a very devoted follower of Manson, and this led to her involvement in the murders that led to her death sentence.
When Manson was ready to begin his Helter Skelter (an idea formed after listening to the Beatles’ song of the same name), he directed Patricia and others to go to 10050 Cielo Drive, home of actress Sharon Tate and director Roman Polaski. Charles “Tex” Watson started the killing spree in the driveway when he shot and killed, 18-year-old Steven Parent. The group then entered the home and, in the ensuing mayhem, Patricia struggled with and stabbed coffee heiress Abigail Folger. When Folger fled, Patricia followed her into the yard, stabbing her continuously, some say as many as 70 times. Folger’s white dress appeared red to police investigators the next day.
Manson ordered the group out the next night to the home of wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca. Manson went into the home and tied up Leno and his wife Rosemary, and then ordered the group to kill them and leave “witchy” messages on the walls. After the couple had been stabbed multiple times, the group showered, ate, and played with the couple’s dogs before hitchhiking back to Spahn Ranch. All tallied, the group had murdered seven people in a two-night killing spree.
The heat began to pick up after the murders, due to unrelated investigations, and Manson ordered Patricia to leave. When Susan Atkins later bragged about the murders in prison, Patricia was nabbed near her aunt’s home in Mobil, Alabama. She claimed she had gone to Alabama out of fear that Manson would find her and kill her. Patricia initially fought extradition, but in February of 1970, she waived her rights to extradition and returned willingly to face charges in California with Manson, Van Houten, and Atkins. Her attorney offered a weak defense and in 1971, she was sentenced to death. Her sentence was commuted to life in prison when the State of California eliminated the death penalty.
Since the beginning of her incarceration, Patricia Krenwinkel has been a model prisoner at the California Institution for Women. She quickly severed her ties with Manson and other members of the Family and as early as 1979, she enrolled in prison college classes and took on a job as a janitor inside the prison. Patricia’s studies eventually paid off, and she received a degree in human services. She then became involved with drug and alcohol counseling programs in the prison. She helped many fellow inmates work through their addictions and took a stand against illiteracy by helping many of the incoming women learn how to read and write.
Unlike many of Manson’s followers, Patricia has shown remorse for her actions. During a 1994 interview with Dianne Sawyer, she said, “I wake up every day knowing that I'm a destroyer of the most precious thing, which is life; and I do that because that's what I deserve, to wake up every morning and know that.”
Patricia has also been involved in the Prison Pups program since its beginning in August 2002. The program helps train puppies to be service dogs for people with disabilities. The program stipulates that inmates stay out of trouble and dedicate their time to the dogs. Patricia says the program gives her a sense of worth and a feeling she is giving something back. She has personally trained seven dogs, and the program has produced over 100 service dogs to date.
The dog-training program was also the focus of a special report that aired on KABC Channel 7 in Los Angeles in November of 2007. The focus of the show was on Patricia’s success in the program and the intense commitment it required.
While not claiming to be a born again Christian and even shunning the generally accepted view of God, Patricia does feel compelled to help others. She continues her work with inmates with addictions and those who need help learning to read. She is also continuing her education and is studying graphic arts to complement her human services degree. She hopes all of this may someday lead to the parole board agreeing that she has reformed, although she has admitted that she will understand if they do not.
Patricia has been denied parole 11 times and will be going in front of the board for the 12th time in January 2008.
Photo credit: AP
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