LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 – Former Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten will go to trial for the third time Jan. 16 in connection with the 1969 slaying of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, it was ruled today.

Superior Judge Gordon Ringer set the date after conferring with attorneys briefly in his chambers. The trial was postponed until next year because Miss Van Houten’s attorney, Maxwell Keith is involved in a lengthy trial in federal court.

Miss Van Houten, who smiled cheerfully during her brief courtroom appearance, waived her right to go to trial within the next 10 days. The former Monrovia high school homecoming princess was represented at the hearing by attorney Arthur Avazian.

This will be the third trial for Miss Van Houten, 28, on two counts of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

In her first trial, in 1971, Miss Van Houten was convicted of the LaBianca murders along with Charles Manson and two other Manson followers.

However, the conviction was overturned on appeal because her attorney died while on a camping trip before the proceedings ended.

A second trial on the charges ended last Aug. 6 in a hung jury. After deliberating 25 days, the deadlocked jury was unable to decide between first-degree murder and manslaughter.

Miss Van Houten, who has been in prison for eight years, could have been paroled if convicted only of manslaughter.

Dist. Atty. John Van de Kamp decided in September to retry the case after attempts to reach a plea bargain failed.

If Miss Van Houten had been allowed to plead guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, she would have been eligible for parole almost immediately.

Miss Van Houten is accused of participating in the Aug. 10, 1969, murder of the LaBiancas at their Los Feliz-area home.

The LaBiancas apparently were selected as targets at random by Manson. Mrs. LaBianca, 38, was stabbed 41 times -16 of the wounds were inflicted after she had died.

By RICHARD C. PADDOCK