Manson Family Killer Leslie Van Houten To Be Released Without Appeal From Newsom

Manson family killer Leslie Van Houten's recent whiff of freedom will not be snuffed out by California Gov. Gavin Newsom ... he says he won't appeal her upcoming parole.

Newsom's office announced the decision in a Friday afternoon news dump, saying the governor would not challenge an earlier appeals court decision clearing the way for Van Houten's release.

73-year-old Van Houten has been in prison for decades ... after being convicted for the August 1969 stabbing murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

Newsom's office says he's reversed her parole grant three times since taking office and he's disappointed the appeals court ruled for her to be granted parole. The governor claims he would be unlikely to succeed in challenging her release this time.

Remember ... Van Houten claimed she was immature and brainwashed by Manson as a 19-year-old when she stabbed the LaBiancas to death in their Los Feliz home.