On October 15, 2021, a California parole board again denied Tex Watson his freedom, per NBC Los Angeles. It was the then-77-year-old’s 18th try. In making its decision, the board found Watson “does pose a reasonable risk to public safety and is not suitable for parole at this time” due in part to “a lack of effective growth” and “an incomplete acceptance of responsibility” for the Tate-LaBianca murders, according to the parole hearing transcript (via CieloDrive.com). Watson, according to the board, continued to blame his murderous actions over those two nights on drug use and Charles Manson. “It is especially troubling that he actually committed some of the most disturbing and atrocious and cruel aspects of the murders,” Commissioner Randolf Grounds said during the hearing.
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As in past parole board hearings for Watson, relatives of his victims attended and spoke out against letting him out. Debra Tate, Sharon Tate’s sister, told the board she couldn’t say whether the “factors” behind Watson’s killing spree are still present. “It scares me to death,” she said, adding, “He may have full intentions … of leading a quiet life with his children, but I don’t think he possesses the tools in order to guarantee society that the factors that made him the monster in the past won’t again happen and make him a monster in the future.” Watson’s next parole hearing will be in October 2026, per the Los Angeles Times.
