A California parole board on Wednesday denied aging mass murderer Charles Manson's bid for freedom at his 12th parole hearing.
Manson, 77, did not show up for the hearing, even though it could be his last opportunity to ask for freedom. He has been denied release on parole 11 times before, most recently in 2007, when the state Board of Parole Hearings ruled that he "continues to pose an unreasonable danger to others and may still bring harm to anyone he would come in contact with.''
Under current law, inmates can be denied the chance to reapply for parole for up to 15 years, so Manson could be 92 before he's eligible for another hearing.
He is incarcerated at the Corcoran State Prison, about 175 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Manson became one of the 20th century's most infamous criminals during the summer of 1969, when the Beatles-obsessed ex-con directed his mostly young, female followers to murder seven people.
Among the victims was actress Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was stabbed 16 times by members of the "Manson family'' cult in the early morning hours of Aug. 9, 1969.
Four other people were also stabbed or shot to death in Tate's home that night by the group, who scrawled the word "Pig'' in blood on the front door before leaving.
The following night, Manson followers stabbed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca to death, using their blood to write `"Rise,'' "Death to Pigs and ''Healter Skelter" - a misspelled reference to the Beatles song ''Helter Skelter" - on the walls and refrigerator door.
Manson was convicted and sentenced to death in 1971 but was spared execution after the California Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional. In 1977, his sentence was commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
California later resumed executions, but Manson remains eligible for parole hearings at least once every five years.
Tate's sister, Debra, told The Associated Press she planned to attend Wednesday's parole hearing.
Attorney DeJon Ramone Lewis, who was appointed to represent Manson, said his client has refused to meet with him.
