Manson Follower Granted Parole

But Gov. Jerry Brown could block release of Bruce Davis
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2012 1:41 AM CDT
Updated Oct 5, 2012 4:00 AM CDT
Manson Follower Granted Parole
This undated photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Bruce Davis.    (AP Photo/California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

A California man who helped murder two people on the orders of Charles Manson in 1969 has been recommended for release by a state parole panel. Bruce Davis, 70, has been in prison for 40 years for the murders of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea. Davis was recommended for parole in 2010 but then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blocked his release. His parole grant will now be reviewed by the entire parole board, after which Gov. Jerry Brown has 30 days to review the decision, the AP reports.

Davis, who was not involved in the Tate-LaBianca murders, has become an ordained minister while in prison and earned master's degrees in philosophy and religion. At the parole hearing, he acknowledged his role in the two murders, said he tried to do good for other inmates, and pledged to continue to work as a minister outside of prison. After the panel's decision, a prosecutor on the Manson case said he was dismayed that Manson's "right-hand man" might be freed. "Would you want to wake up and find Bruce Davis next door?" he asked. "I think not." (More Bruce Davis stories.)

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