Manson devotee released after 34 years
A Charles Manson follower who tried to assassinate US President Gerald Ford was freed from prison today after 34 years behind bars.
Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was just 26 years old when she pointed a .45-calibre pistol at Mr Ford in September 1975 in Sacramento, California. Secret Service agents grabbed her and the president was unhurt.
Fromme, now 60, left the Federal Medical Centre in Fort Worth, Texas this morning.
Fromme, who got a life term, became the first person sentenced under a special federal law covering assaults on US presidents, a statute enacted after the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Mr Ford was walking to the California State Capitol from his hotel when Fromme pushed through the crowd, drew the pistol from a holster on her thigh and pointed it at the president as he shook hands with well-wishers. She was restrained by Secret Service agents who wrested the gun away from her and led the president to safety.
Fromme was granted parole in July 2008 and released “via good conduct time” after completing a 15-month sentence for unlawful escape. That sentence was being served consecutively after a life sentence for threats against the president.
She escaped from a women’s prison in Alderson, West Virginia, on December 23, 1987, and was recaptured about two miles away on Christmas Day after a massive search. She was sentenced to an additional 15 months in prison for the escape. Fromme had said she escaped from prison to be closer to Manson.
Manson is serving life in San Quentin for the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and eight others.
Fromme, one of his “family” of followers, was not implicated in those attacks.
