On February 4, 1974, the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped Patty Hearst. What followed depends on your point of view: Was Hearst isolated, raped and brainwashed into becoming a soldier for the army’s revolutionary cause or was she a rich brat playing revolution who would never really suffer the consequences of her actions? Maybe Guerilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst has the answers…
Patricia Campbell Hearst (born February 20, 1954), now known as Patricia Hearst-Shaw, is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst; she became nationally known for events following her kidnapping. In 1974 while she was a 19-year-old student living in Berkeley, California, Hearst was abducted by a left-wing terrorist group known as the Symbionese Liberation Army. After being isolated and threatened with death, she became supportive of their cause, making propaganda announcements for them and taking part in illegal activities. Hearst was found 19 months after her kidnapping, by which time she was a fugitive wanted for serious crimes. She was held in custody, despite speculation that her family’s resources would prevent her spending time in jail. At trial the prosecution made Hearst’s character and sexual morality an issue, suggesting that she had not been raped while being held prisoner by the SLA. She was found guilty of bank robbery. Her conviction and long prison sentence were widely seen as unjust, but the procedural correctness of her trial was upheld by the courts. Hearst’s sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter, and she was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
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