Manson Family member, 67, who stabbed couple to death in their home is denied parole as judge says she is still a threat to society after 47 years behind bars

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One of the key members of Charles Manson's murderous 'family' has been denied parole for the 20th time 47 years after being jailed for stabbing a couple to death in their home.

Leslie Van Houten, who is now 67, had her request for freedom turned down by a Los Angeles judge on Thursday after pleading to be released for good behavior. 

She was jailed upon her arrest in 1969 for the killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca who she stabbed to death with other key cult members, who referred to themselves as 'the Family', at their home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.  

In April a state board declared Van Houten would be eligible for parole but the decision was overturned by Governor Jerry Brown earlier this year. 

Gov. Brown's decision was upheld on Thursday by a judge who said the woman still posed 'unreasonable danger' to society. 

Leslie Van Houten (above at a 2004 parole hearing) has had her request for release turned down again 

It was the 20th time Van Houten has been turned down for parole since being taken into custody upon her arrest in 1969. 

Judge William Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan said there was still 'some evidence' Van Houten posed a threat to society, The L.A. Times reported. 

'Even two years after the murders, when interviewed by a psychologist, Van Houten admitted that, although she had no present desire to kill anyone, she would have no difficulty doing it again,' he said. 

He added that the 'shocking nature of the crimes left an indelible mark on society'. 

Van Houten was just 19 when she, along with other members of the Manson cult, murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca at their home. 

She stabbed Mrs LaBianca in the lower back and buttocks repeatedly. Post-mortem examinations revealed some of the wounds were inflicted after her death. 

Van Houten (right) was just 19 when she took part in the killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in Los Angeles. She is seen above with fellow Manson Family members Patricia Krenwinkle (centre) and Susan Atkins (left) who were also jailed 

The women were sentenced to death alongside their leader (above in 1969 after being arrested). Their sentences were changed to life imprisonment following the abolition of the death penalty in California on 1972

It came a night after the murders of Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski's wife who was pregnant at the time, and her friends.  

Van Houten, who joined the cult in 1968, was sentenced to death in 1971 along with other key members of the 'Family' for her role in the second set of murders. 

She admitted to participating in the LaBianca killings and tried to keep the cult's leader out of jail by claiming he had not ordered their deaths.

Fellow members Susan Denise Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel were tried at the same time as Van Houten and Manson. All four were convicted and sentenced to death, with Van Houten becoming the youngest woman in California to have ever received the sentence.

The following year, all four had their sentences changed to life imprisonment after the abolition of the death penalty in California.

During the trial Van Houten was seen smirking, giggling and laughing with her female co-defendants as they recounted their crimes.  

The women were at the centre of the Manson cult, living in communes with the murderous leader who had them forego hygiene and commit brutal killings in the hope of sparking a racial war  

In a show of support for their twisted leader, they cut their hair and carved x's on to their forehead. Above, the women leave court grinning in 1971 after being sentenced to death 

Van Houten later changed her testimony at a 1977 retrial (right). She claimed she had been brainwashed by the cult and could not be expected to take responsibility for her crimes. It was left with a hung jury 

The women's behaviour throughout their trial was sinister - they joked, laughed and giggled their way through recounts of their brutality and acted up for photographers while being shuttled between the court and prison 

Van Houten applied for parole numerous of times but has always been turned down. She is seen above (left)  in a 1999 mug shot and (right) at a 2002 parole hearing

The murderous trio carved x's into their foreheads and shaved their hair off in a show of continued support for Manson. 

In 1977, six years after her conviction, Van Houten won the right to a retrial. She argued her right to it on the grounds that a mistrial was not declared in 1971 when, in the midst of the case, her lawyer, Ronald Hughes, died. 

Hughes had tried to convince the then teenager to argue she had been coerced by Manson into the murders. He died during a ten-day recess while on a camping trip. 

Manson (above in 1986) remains in a Californian prison 

His cause of death was never determined, though it was speculated he may have been killed as an act of retaliation by family members who were angry he tried to turn his client against their leader. 

At her 1977 retrial, Van Houten's legal team said she could not be held responsible for her actions after years of intense drug-taking. They also argued she had been brainwashed by Manson. 

The jury could not reach a decision over whether to reduce her conviction to manslaughter. A second retrial the following year added a felony robbery charge . 

This threw out her intention to argue she was of diminished responsibility in the killing. 

After being convicted of first degree murder for a second time, Van Houten was sentenced to life imprisonment again.   

Susan Atkins died in prison in 2009 at the age of 61.  Patricia Krenwinkel, who is now 68, has been denied parole 13 times. 

She remains in California Institution for Women in Chino, California, and is next eligible to apply for parole in 2018. 

Charles Manson remains in the Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, California. He is now 81. 

Susan Atkins died in jail in 2009. She is seen (left) in a mug shot in 2001. Charles Manson (right) remains in prison and is now 81. He is seen in a file image in 2009