Parole recommended for follower of Charles Manson
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A parole panel on Wednesday recommended the release of a former follower of cult leader Charles Manson after California governors blocked four previous parole recommendations.
Bruce Davis, 74, had his 31st parole hearing at the California Men’s Colony at San Luis Obispo as he serves a life sentence for the 1969 slayings of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea.
Davis was not involved in the more notorious killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others by the Manson “family” the same year.
During the half-century since the slayings, parole panels have now decided five times that Davis is no longer a public safety risk. Officials have cited his age and good behaviour behind bars that includes earning a doctoral degree and ministering to other inmates.