Patricia Hearst
A summary by David N. Roth
Patricia Hearst is the heiress to the Hearst fortune. In 1974, she was kidnapped by a radical terrorist group called the Symbionese Liberation Army. This incident was one of the strangest kidnapping cases that the F.B.I. has ever been involved in. Not only did it result in the largest manhunt of all time (only recently superceded by the hunts for Eric Rudolph and Osama bin laden), but it also helped to prove that kidnapping had disastrous effects on the person that was kidnapped.
While under control of the S.L.A., Patricia Hearst was forced to rob a bank and protect her S.L.A. "comrades." She was brainwashed, which included spending over 50 days in a closet. When found, she was put on trial for grand theft, and was convicted. She spent almost two years of a seven year term, and was released with help from President Jimmy Carter. However, this was merely a commutation. It would take more than an additional two decades before she would receive a pardon. President Bill Clinton pardoned Patricia Hearst Shaw (Patricia married her bodyguard, Bernard Shaw) during the midnight hours of his term--a pardon of which surprisingly little has been mentioned in the media (probably due to the infamous Rich pardon). Finally, it seems that Patricia Hearst has been, at least, officially vindicated of whatever misdeeds she committed under the influence of the S.L.A.
If you would like to know more about Patricia Hearst, there are a wealth of books available. Patricia wrote her own account of events in Patty Hearst: Her Own Story. Also, Shana Alexander wrote Anyone's Daughter, which she based on her own personal experience with the trial of Patricia Hearst. Some of it is dramaticized, but the meat of the trial is still there. Both books are now out of print, but I found them at local libraries.
Notable Links
It should be said at this point that although I am still fascinated by Patricia Hearst's kidnapping and subsequent conviction, I am not actively updating this web page any longer. All the old links (late 1990s/early 2000s) of which I was aware have now become defunct (for better or for worse).
I also apologize if you have been mislead by Yahoo's description of this site. The mentioned transcripts are obviously no longer available at this site.
News Sites
CNN on the hearing of Soliah's plead of guilty (1 NOV 2001)
ABCNews on Kathleen Ann Soliah's plead of guilty (1 NOV 2001)
ABCNews on Kathleen Ann Soliah's capture (17 JUN 99)
ABCNews on the Hearst Saga (18 JUN 99)