Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Patricia Hearst, the granddaughter of a newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, was convicted of armed bank robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the Hibernia Bank robbery case, according to CNN. Widely known as Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Berkeley, California, on February 4, 1974. The Symbionese Liberation Army, who were a group of radical anarchists and extremists, abducted her, as per FBI records.
After her abduction, the group demanded ransom in the form of money and food for the poor. They communicated through audiotapes that they released. They reportedly aimed at uniting the oppressed populations of the United States to break the capitalist system. In one of the subsequent audiotapes released in April 1974, Patty Hearst denounced her family and claimed to have joined hands with the SLA. Security footage at a bank in San Francisco revealed her engaging in a robbery with the Army, The Washington Post reported.
She was then accused of opening fire on security guards in Inglewood. She did this as they attempted to get hold of Bill Harris, her kidnapper. Hearst also allegedly teamed up with Harris and his wife Emily to kidnap Tom Matthews, a high school student. They used Matthews’ van to get away.
The FBI then launched Operation Hernap, which started a wide search for Patty Hearst. The search went on for 16 months until September 18, 1975. On that day, she was caught, arrested, and charged with armed robbery and the use of a firearm. She was also charged with a store shootout in Los Angeles and pleaded guilty to it. However, the court only gave her probation time for that crime.
How much prison time did Patty Hearst get?
The court sentenced Patty Hearst to seven years in prison. However, she only served 22 months behind bars before President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence. Bill Clinton then pardoned her when he came into power, the Independent reported. The defense argued that Hearst only acted accordingly with her kidnappers to make sure they wouldn’t harm her. She acted out of fear.
NPR reported that the members of the Symbionese Liberation Army told Patty Hearst that the FBI and her family had given up on her and hadn’t been looking for her. They also behaved well with her, which allegedly caused her to side with them. The report also suggests that Patty Hearst was undoubtedly siding with the SLA because she did not take any opportunity to escape captivity. However, this could be a more elaborate subconscious way of accommodating the circumstance.
There was reportedly sufficient evidence to prove that she willingly supported the SLA. On one occasion, Patty Hearst and a couple of other Army members, Emily and Bill Harris, decided to shop at a sporting goods store. The couple left her in a van and went into the store, allowing her to drive off or escape. However, she willingly stayed back. When Bill and Emily decided to shoplift and were tackled by the security guards at the store, Hearst opened fire on the guards. That made it even more evident that she acted willingly and wasn’t coerced due to fear.
Where is Patricia Hearst now?
According to People Magazine, Patty Hearst is currently 70. She wrote a book titled Every Secret Thing, which was published in 1982. Reportedly, the book includes her experiences when the SLA held her captive. A photograph of Hearst where she is holding a machine gun in front of the SLA’s flag has become extremely popular. It was in most newspapers covering her case. She now goes by the name Patricia.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Patty Hearst turned 70 on February 20, 2024. She now goes by the name Patricia Hearst Shaw and has been married to a police officer, the late Bernard Shaw. He was initially assigned to guard her when she was out on bail. Most recently, she was back in the limelight for her French bulldogs, which won prizes at the Westminster Kennel Club, AP News reported.
Despite her family name, Patty Hearst was just a sophomore at Berkeley. As per NPR, Hearst’s tendency to join the Symbionese Liberation Army could be explained by her being at a particularly vulnerable phase in her life at that time. She previously had a fallout with her parents over moving out with her older boyfriend. Her relationship with him was also turning vulnerable by the time of the abduction. She also displayed suicidal tendencies. Hearst wished to break up with him but was afraid of how her parents would react.
The Radical Story of Patty Hearst is a documentary mini-series that follows Hearst’s experience of being abducted and held captive by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. It also explores the simultaneous shift of Hearst from being a 19-year-old heir to a tycoon to becoming a radical herself. The series is currently streaming on Max.
