Charles Manson Follower, Bruce Davis, Parole: California Gov. Jerry Brown to Decide if Manson Cult Member is Suitable for Release

Bruce Davis could be released after 40 years in prison for his involvement with cult leader Charles Mason if California Governor, Jerry Brown, believes he is suitable for parole. Davis, now 70, was convicted, along with Manson and another man, of murdering a musician and a stuntman. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1972. Davis used to deny his involvement in the murders, saying he was simply a bystander, but has recently admitted to his shared responsibility. He had no involvement in the infamous Sharon Tate murders. 

His time in prison has allowed Davis to earn a master's degree and a doctorate in philosophy of religion. He became a born-again Christian and ministered to other inmates. Bruce Davis even married a woman he met through the prison ministry. The couple has a daughter and has recently divorced. If Governor Brown decides he is fit for release, Davis will go to transitional housing associated with religious groups in Los Angeles County.

The Board of Parole Hearings of California submitted its recommendation of Davis' parole to Governor Brown this Friday, a day before the deadline. Attorneys of the board then had to review the findings of a two-member panel, which ruled in favor of Davis. No errors of fact or law were found in the submission. Governor Brown's options are now to affirm, decline, modify, or decline to review and he has 30 days to make the decision. In the past, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected Davis' parole recommendation. An obstacle this time around comes from Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey. Lacey sent a letter to the board just last week in opposition to Davis' release.

Chalres Manson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles "Tex" Watson still remain in prison for life for the Sharon Tate killings in August of 1969. The other convicted killer, Susan Atkins, died of cancer in 2009 while serving her sentence. Manson was not actually present for and did not commit murder, but instructed the others in how to follow through with his plan to kill the actress and her friends, Leno and Rosemarry LaBianca. Charles Manson took the lyircs from the Beatles' song, "Helter Skeltor," as a message for an impending apocalypse brought on by race wars. His murders were in preperation for this war and convinced many others to follow him and join his "family." This cult of followers was called the Manson Family.