The Kidnapping and Trial of Patty Hearst

By Ella Schaltenbrand

Who Was Patty Hearst?

• Born February 20, 1954• Father was Randolph A. Hearst.

• Managing editor of the San Francisco Examiner

• Chairman on the board of Hearst Corp. Grandfather was publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951).

• Built a media empire after inheriting the San Francisco Examiner from his father.

William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst

The Kidnapping

• Patty moved into an apartment in Berkeley with fiancé, Steven Weed in summer of 1974.• Hearst was enrolled at

Berkeley • February 4, 1974 a group

of armed members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) broke into their apartment.

Patty Hearst and Steven Weed

Background of SLA

• Formed in Berkeley, California• Grew from black inmate organization,

the Black Cultural Association.• BCA- brought white students from

Berkely to Vacaville prison to tutor prisoners in political science, black sociology and African heritage.

• BCA became more focused on black nationalism.

• One prisoner, Donald DeFreeze, branched off and formed Unisight, which was the predecessor to the SLA. Donald DeFreeze

Background of SLA• DeFreeze escaped from prison, March, 1973.• By the end of summer, 1973, SLA formed.

Members included:Russell Little, William Wolfe, Nancy Ling Perry, Patricia Soltysic, Camilla Hall, Joe Remiro, Bill and Emily Harris and Gary and Angela Atwood

• Members changed their names and moved to a “safe house” in Concord, California.

• Determined to create a violent revolution.• First public act, on November 6, was the

murder of black Oakland school superintendent Marcus Foster. • Because he supported an identification

system for students.• Little and Remiro were arrested for the

murder, but when police went to safe house it had been burned down.

After the Kidnapping

• SLA demanded that Little and Remiro be released, but authorities refused

• Then they demanded that Hearst’s parents give millions of dollars to feed California’s poor population

• Hearst family agreed to give $2 million in food for the Bay area needy.

• Hearst later claimed she was kept locked in a dark closet for 57 days, subjected to radical rants, abuse and rape while the SLA had her.

Hearst’s Transformation

• April 3, SLA released a tape where Hearst criticized her father’s food distribution efforts.

• 59 days after the kidnapping a tape was released in which Hearst says:• “I have been given the choice

of being released… or joining the forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army and fighting for my freedom and the freedom of all oppressed people. I have chosen to stay and fight.”

• She also announced she changed her name to “Tania”

Photo released with the audiotape in which Hearst claimed to have taken up the SLA cause.

The Bank Robbery

• April 15, the SLA robbed the Hiberina Bank (Hearst took part)

• Stole over $10,000• Two bystanders were shot (one

killed)• Hearst announced “I am Tania” and

ordered customers to the floor, and warned “We are not fooling around.”

• SLA released an audiotape after the robbery where Hearst says:• “Greetings to the people, this is Tania.

Our actions of April 15 forced the Corporate State to help finance the revolution. As for being brainwashed, the idea is ridiculous beyond belief. I am a soldier in the People’s Army.”

Hearst at Hibernia Bank Robbery

The Shootout

• May 16, 1974, SLA members William and Emily Harris attempted to shoplift an ammunition case at Mel’s Sporting Goods Store in Englewood, California• They were noticed by

employees who tried to stop them

• Patty Hearst then shot at the store from a van across the street.

• The next day, one hundred Los Angeles police came to SLA hideout at 1466 54th St. and ordered the occupants to come out.

The Shootout

• A massive shootout ensued.• Six SLA

members died as a result.• William and

Emily Harris and Patty Hearst were not killed.

The Aftermath

• Patty wasn’t arrested until over a year later

• Authorities were following the trail of SLA member Kathleen Soliah

• Hearst was arrested September 18, 1975

Hearst’s mugshot

The Trial

• Hearst’s trial began February 4, 1976 in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Oliver J. Carter

• Hearst stayed loyal to the SLA until her trial began, when she claimed she’d been brainwashed and feared for her life.

• Her defense was headed by lawyer F. Lee Bailey• He tried to prove Hearst had been

“brainwashed” and suffered form the “Stockholm Syndrome”• Stockholm Syndrome- captives, after becoming

dependent upon their captors, become sympathetic to their captor’s cause.

• Under this theory, Hearst was never a voluntary member of the SLA, and she only did what she had to do to stay alive.

The Trial

• Critics pointed out that the defense had many flaws• Seemed like Hearst was acting

freely at the Hibernia robbery• Brainwashing wasn’t recognized as

a defense to bank robbery under federal law The jury listened to Patty on audiotape saying that the idea of brainwashing was ridiculous

• Hearst pleaded the Fifth Amendment 42 times while testifying about the bank robbery.

The Trial

• Psychiatrists played a big role • Over 200 hours of expert psychiatric

testimony given• Government psychiatrist Joel Fort

gave influential testimony• Told jurors Hearst was a prime candidate

for radicalism even before being kidnapped

• Said she was an amoral person who thought rules did not apply to her

• The jury deliberated for 12 hours in a session that ended in tears

• March 20, 1976, Hearst was pronounced guilty of armed robbery and use of a firearm to commit a felony

After the Trial

• Hearst was sentenced to seven years in prison

• President Carter commuted her sentence in early 1979

• On January 20, 2001, on the last full day of his presidency, Bill Clinton granted Hearst a full pardon.

Work CitedWorks Cited

CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 25 May 2014.

<http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/hearst/profile.html>.

FBI. FBI, 28 July 2010. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.fbi.gov/about-

us/history/famous-cases/patty-hearst-kidnapping>.

PBS. PBS. Web. 25 May 2014.

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/guerrilla/peopleevents/e_kidnapping.html>.

"The Trial of Patty Hearst: An Account." The Trial of Patty Hearst: An Account. Web.

27 May 2014.

<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hearst/hearstdolaccount.html>.

"William Randolph Hearst." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 26 May

2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/william-randolph-hearst>.