Panel OKs parole for former Manson cult member

CHINO, Calif. -- A California panel recommended parole Thursday for former Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten more than four decades after she and other cult members went to prison for the notorious killings of a wealthy grocer and his wife.

Van Houten, 66, was "numb" after the panel announced its decision, said her lawyer, Rich Pfeiffer.

The decision will undergo administrative review by the board. If upheld, it goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has final say on whether Van Houten is released.

Van Houten, a onetime homecoming princess, participated in the killings of Leno La Bianca and his wife, Rosemary, a day after other so-called "Manson family" members murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others in 1969.

The killings were the start of what Manson believed was a coming race war.