Manson likely a no-show for his parole hearing

Manson also was convicted of two unrelated murders. An assortment of his followers are being held in California prisons.

Corrections officials released a recent picture of Manson in advance of his hearing.

It shows the gray-haired old man with a swastika on his forehead, a reminder of his dark past. He carved the symbol during his trial.

The photo was a dramatic change from his previous picture, when his head was shaved.

Manson's appearance has changed many times over the years but most memorable was the first image the world saw of the shaggy haired, wild-eyed cult leader staring from the covers of magazines in 1969.

Debra Tate says she doubts the parole panel will vote to free Manson, but she does wish that his posture as a messiah out to save the world was perceived by everyone as being a sham.

"I would hope he would get the moxie to come to terms with the reality of his situation and not the myth. They were a bunch of renegade sociopaths that banded together and had one hot flame for a short period of time," she said. "It's important to me that I try to diminish and tarnish their status as urban legends. It's wrong, it's just plain wrong."