• Anthony DiMaria’s Letter To Gavin Newsom, Re:Krenwinkel

Anthony DiMaria’s Letter To Gavin Newsom, Re:Krenwinkel

Sunday, August 21st, 2022

Dear Governor Gavin Newsom,

My name is Anthony DiMaria, nephew of Jay Sebring (one 8 killed by Patricia Krenwinkel and the so-called Manson family…. I include Sharon Tate’s unborn son among the 8 victims).

My family and I ask that you reverse parole of inmate Krenwinkel due to the rare, severe, egregious nature of her crimes as defined In Re Lawrence, minimization and lack of insight into her atrocities as defined In Re Shaputis and the convicted killer’s current dangerousness to society.

As defined In Re Lawrence, in rare and particularly egregious cases, the fact that the inmate committed the offense can provide an indication of the inmate’s potential for future danger, despite strong evidence of rehabilitation in the record. (Lawrence, supra, 44 Ca1.4th at pp. 1181, 1211, 1213-14.)

On the nights of August 8th and 10th, 1969 Patricia Krenwinkel’s victims unspeakably suffered 7 gunshots, 169 stabbings, bludgeoning, torture and mutilation. Ms. Krenwinkel horrified the nation splattering messages in her victims’ blood (“Healter Skelter”, “Death to Pigs”) at her crime scene thus inciting the entire Helter Skelter legacy that has caused permanent historical scars as evidenced in the horrific murders of Vivian French and Jason Sweeney (which I’ll address later in this plea).

MINIMIZATION/IN RE SHAPUTIS

After decades of rehabilitation, Patricia Krenwinkel still minimizes and lacks insight into her crimes. At her last hearing the petitioner posits “I’ve spent the last 50 years really looking at how I ever got involved in that kind of a thing, allowing other people to make decisions for me, to think for me.” [pp.59 ll. 22-25]

Then, “I had psychiatrists that I worked with to try and locate what would allow me to ever allow someone to take over my life like that.” [p.42 l.24]

“I just kept accepting and allowing myself to go along for the ride.” [p.28 ll.2-4]
-Governor, these statements from the petitioner are glaring, shocking and a hell of a way to characterize the killings of seven people and an unborn child.

As I stated at the May 26 parole, “At today’s hearing, Ms. Krenwinkel describes ‘allowing’ and ‘allowed’ as in ‘I allowed these things to happen’ & ‘I allowed to lead me in this direction.’

After having lived with the loss and suffering caused by Patricia Krenwinkel for decades – any use of the words “allow”, “allowed”, “allowing” is quite disturbing and lacks any crumb of insight into these crimes.” Frankly Governor Newsom, these statements are perverse and sociopathic.

As established In Re Shaputis, even when an inmate states that her conduct is “wrong” and that she feels some remorse for the crime, her failure “to gain insight or understanding into either her violent conduct or her commission of the commitment offense” provide “some evidence in support of the Governor’s conclusion that petitioner remains dangerous and is unsuitable for parole.” (In re Shigemura (2012) 210 Cal.App.4th 440, 453-454 citing In re Shaputis (2008) 44 Ca1.4th 1241, 1260.)

CURRENT DANGER TO SOCIETY

If ever murders could be described as “Crimes of the Century,” Ms. Krenwinkel’s actions embody this heinous standard. The unspeakable number of stab wounds, mutilations, Ms. Krenwinkel’s threats smeared in her victims’ blood of DEATH TO PIGS and HELTER SKELTER on the walls at her crime scene terrified the nation. Patricia’s obscene behaviors throughout her trial not only spit on the memory of her victims and tormented our families, but directly created the destructive Manson family mystique, causing permanent scars on American history.

The severity of her actions are so profound that her lethal legacy has been influential in similar horrific murders well after her incarceration.

Detective Don Ryan describes the crime scene of Vivian French’s murder March 7, 1977: “As I entered the residence I could hear ‘The Pigs Are Coming’ song that was playing over and over again. When we walked in, I observed a white female, later identified as Vivian French, lying on her back. She was nude and I noticed what appeared to be a black handled knife in her right side just above the breast. I noticed on the wall there were some things written in blood: ‘Helter Skelter’ and ‘All Pigs Must Die’…”

“HELTER SKELTER” & “ALL PIGS MUST DIE” – the same words written by Patricia Krenwinkel in her victims’ blood at the LaBianca crime scene.

On May 30, 2003, Jason Sweeney was murdered by four teenagers, ages 15 to 17. The weapons used to massacre the young man were a hammer, a hatchet, and several large rocks. At one point during the attack there was a hammer blow so severe that it remained protruding from Jason’s skull, as he continued to fight for his life.

During the trial, the teenaged killers testified listening to “Helter Skelter” over and over repeatedly for several hours before committing the murder. “Helter Skelter”…

The prosecuting attorney, Jude Conroy, stated, “It is really amazing that teenagers in Philadelphia, Memorial Day weekend, are attuned to the whole Helter Skelter mythology. It’s a sad testament to the twisted, brutal legacy those murders have left behind such that it attracts 15, 16, 17-year-olds. Over forty years later. 3,000 miles across the country. It is a powerful legacy.”

Charles Manson did not write HELTER SKELTER in blood, Patricia Krenwinkel did. Patricia Krenwinkel is the author that ignited what would become an endless cultural cancer with sinister and deadly consequences even as you read this Governor.

The nexus of current dangerousness, and the threat of Patricia Krenwinkel and her crimes to society today — direct, symbolic and cultural — is permanent, malignant and CURRENT.

Governor Newsom, as you acknowledge the rare, severe nature of Patricia Krenwinkel’s crimes as defined in Lawrence, her minimization and lack of insight as addressed in Shaputis and her current dangerousness to society- we ask that you reject parole for Patricia Krenwinkel.

Sincerely,
Anthony DiMaria

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16 Responses to Anthony DiMaria’s Letter To Gavin Newsom, Re:Krenwinkel

  1. Pam says:

    Brilliant.

  2. Michael says:

    Well written. I agree with DiMaria’s point that the severity of the crimes warrants lifelong incarceration, regardless. I also agree that PK’s statements do not show a sense of full responsibility. (His point about her references to “allowing” is especially good.) I’m still not convinced she poses a danger if released, but for the sake of justice and the severity of her crimes, I don’t think she should ever be paroled.

  3. Michael says:

    Well written. I agree with DiMaria’s point that the severity of the crimes warrants lifelong incarceration, regardless. I also agree that PK’s statements do not show a sense of full responsibility. (His point about her references to “allowing” is especially good.) I’m still not convinced she poses a danger if released, but for the sake of justice and the severity of her crimes, I don’t think she should ever be paroled.

  4. DebS says:

    That is a very powerful letter. Di Maria is articulate, his citing of case law and similar crimes that were inspired by Krenwinkel’s actions will, no doubt, go a long way in cementing Governor Newsom’s decision. Future parole hearing boards should take note of DeMaria’s reasoning and never allow Krenwinkel a chance to be released again.

  5. Billy Esquire says:

    Of course he is right in everything he wrote, but there was really no need. Everyone knows since Newsom refuses to let Leslie out, there is absolutely no way he would ever let Krenwinkel be paroled. Still, I can see why he wanted to write the letter.

  6. happydaysarehereagain says:

    “Charles Manson did not write HELTER SKELTER in blood, Patricia Krenwinkel did. Patricia Krenwinkel is the author that ignited what would become an endless cultural cancer with sinister and deadly consequences even as you read this Governor.
    The nexus of current dangerousness, and the threat of Patricia Krenwinkel and her crimes to society today — direct, symbolic and cultural — is permanent, malignant and CURRENT.”

    To me, this is the most powerful point in the argument Mr. DiMaria made to Gov. Newsom. And as Billy Esquire pointed out, there’s no way Newsom-or any future Governor- will allow her (their) release.

  7. Lee says:

    I also noticed in Pat’s st*pid documentary a few years ago, she kept using the term, “allowed” and “situation” as in, “the situation I allowed myself to be in.” It sounds ridiculous. Situation? Allowed? Girl, you butchered those people with absolute glee & devotion to Charles Manson. Her and her “family” were just devoid of any sort of humanity, and some still are, like Lynette Fromme & Sandra Good, who, after 50 years, are still cheering on the murders. In closing, Patricia Krenwinkel thinks the biggest victim in this is herself for “allowing” Manson to control her mind and to slap her around a bit. I aint buying what she’s selling!

  8. CybeleMoon says:

    Lee
    I too cringed at Pat’s descriptions in her documentary. I know it was supposed to elicit sympathy for her but I found it very hard to feel sympathy for her.
    DiMaria’s letter is very articulate and powerful.

  9. Fayez Abedaziz says:

    Actually, this is none of this guys business.
    And the letter is obviously written by an attorney or some prosecutor.
    Time to let sleeping dogs lie.
    All the horrific crimes being committed every day in this sick society and we have people
    re-trying the Manson family people again and again.
    Leslie and Susan should have been freed. What happens to Patricia is up to a parole board.

    • Stephen says:

      It was over 50 years ago, the world knows the backdrop to these murders. She/they are no risk to society, and are being kept due to politics, not law.
      The institution has clearly reformed members of this ‘ family ‘

  10. Michael says:

    Anthony is a nephew of one of PK’s victims, and none of us can know or imagine what his family has suffered over the years because of her actions. So yes, this is his business. I know some on this site favor her release for reasons I respect even as I disagree, but we all should recognize the rights of victim’s families to speak, regardless of our views on parole. And really, nobody is retrying the Manson family. We’re having an ongoing debate over their parole, not over whether or not they are guilty.

    • Matthew says:

      You really can’t say that none of us can know or imagine what this family has suffered through the years. There are many families out there that have experienced a family member brutally murdered for no reason. That sentence offends me.

    • Michael says:

      Unless we know this family personally, and have heard them explain to us what they’ve been through, then no, we really cannot understand what they’ve suffered. We can assume some things, but that is assumption, not knowledge. The fact that other families have experienced this kind of loss does not change the fact the each family’s grief over a lost loved one is unique to that family, and, as I said, none of us can really know it what is has been like for them

  11. Fred Bloggs says:

    “Charles Manson did not write HELTER SKELTER in blood, Patricia Krenwinkel did. Patricia Krenwinkel is the author that ignited what would become an endless cultural cancer with sinister and deadly consequences even as you read this Governor.”

    No offence, but this is a ridiculous point in the larger picture. It’s a bit like saying, “actually, Hitler didn’t actually kill or gas anybody ~ his subordinates did.”
    Every child eventually gets to understand that when you carry out someone’s orders, they are as responsible as you are.
    It doesn’t minimize Pat’s role or actions but it is inaccurate to pretend that somehow, these murders were her idea.
    It’s a funny thing, carrying out someone else’s dirty work makes both people responsible. But the responsibility for the dirty work in the first place is never equally shared.
    Life’s full of interesting quirks.

  12. Cara Cicconi says:

    They all should have been put to death. Period. Let God and His judgement deal with them. Why should they eat, sleep, read books, warch tv, breath, when they viciously took the lives of people they didn’t even know. And an unborn child. They had no mercy. None. And they had smiles on their faces walking into trial. Actually as evil as he was, Manson I believe was also totally mentally ill. They weren’t. They enjoyed what they did and that makes them even worse than him in many ways. The night the Labianca couple was murdered was my 2nd birthday and it just makes me so sad that what happened to them. To all of the victims may they rest in God’s arms and eternal peace.

  13. Cara Cicconi says:

    They all should have been put to death. Period. Let God and His judgement deal with them. Why should they eat, sleep, read books, warch tv, breath, when they viciously took the lives of people they didn’t even know. And an unborn child. They had no mercy. None. And they had smiles on their faces walking into trial. Actually as evil as he was, Manson I believe was also totally mentally ill. They weren’t. They enjoyed what they did and that makes them even worse than him in many ways. The night the Labianca couple was murdered was my 2nd birthday and it just makes me so sad that what happened to them. To all of the victims may they rest in God’s arms and eternal peace.

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