A California prison panel has denied parole to mass murderer Charles Manson in his 12th bid for freedom.
Manson did not attend the hearing which came nearly 43 years after the murder of actress Sharon Tate and four others at a Benedict Canyon house in the hills above Los Angeles.
Manson, serving a life sentence at Corcoran State Prison, has been denied parole 11 times before and made a habit of not attending the hearings.
Tate's sister, Debra, also is likely to attend in what has become a way to remember the victims of Manson and his minions.
"I've tried to take this thing that I do, that has become my lot in life, and make it have purpose,'' the 59-year-old Tate, who was 17 in August 1969 when Manson ordered the slayings, told the Associated Press. "I've been doing it for Sharon and the other victims of him for the last 40 years.''
Under current law, inmates can be denied the chance to reapply for parole for up to 15 years. At 77, the hearing might be Manson's last -- he would not be eligible for another hearing until he is 92.
New photos of Manson released last week show him with long gray hair and a beard. His life in prison has included a stream of visitors who submit requests to see him, according to prison officials.
Tate told The Associated Press she wanted to see him -- hoping to look him in the eye and remind the parole panel of the victims' suffering.
"I want to lock eyes with him and walk them through everything done to each and every one of my friends, blow by blow,'' she told the AP.
Local
She did not get that chance.
