PATTY HEARST TRIAL OF 1976

By

Cynthia Stephenson

Active Participant or Victim?

Participant Tape recording that she joined the SLA and

change name to ‘Tania’. Photo of Patty with gun in front of SLA symbol Photo showing she had taken part in the

Hibernia Bank in San Francisco on April 15 May 16 Patty (Tania) fired a automatic

weapon at a security guard at Mel’s Sporting Goods in Los Angeles

Another tape of her love for deceased Willie Wolfe, SLA member(Notable Trials & Court Cases, n.d.)

VICTIM Patty Hearst violently kidnapped in 1974

(SLA called it an arrest warrant) 59 days of being blindfolded and living in

a closet Subjected to verbal and sexual abuse by

Wolfe and De Freeze Feared for her own life, thought she

would be killed Told parents abandoned her (Linder,

2007)

Stockholm Syndrome

She begins to identify

with captors (SLA)

Due to a defense

mechanism or fear

Small acts of Kindness by the SLA are seen as huge acts

Rescue attempts are now

seen as a threat

Patty Hearst

kidnapped

Characteristics

POSSESS TO SWAY JURY

DEFENSE ATTORNEY TO LOOK FOR IN JURY

Family notary and wealth

Soft spoken

physically attractive

No previous trouble with the

law

Middle to upper social status

Feels empathy

for victims

Well mannered

Characteristics

TO SWAY A JURY AGAINST HER……

PROSECUTING ATTORNEY TO LOOK FOR IN A JURY

Involvement with

Robberies

Videos & Photos

Supporting SLA

NO Remorse

Victims themselves

StrongMorals

Lack of Sympathy & Empathy

EXPERTS TO HIRE

CLINICALPSYCHIATRISTS

CRIMINAL & FORENSICPSYCHOLOGISTS

Who are proficient in mind altering techniques and consequences.

Who are versed in prisoner of war traumas

Competent in evaluating crime scenes

Ability to read body language of potential jurors & ask the hard questions

To skillfully look at photos and listen to tape to determine duress

References:

Notable Trials & Court Cases. (n.d.) Patty Hearst trial: 1976 Patty becomes Tania. Retrieved from http://law.jrank.org/pages/3251/Patty-Hearst-Trial-1976-Patty-Becomes-Tania.html

Linder, D. (2007). Patty Hearst Trial (1976). Retrieved from http://law2.umke.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hearst/hearstdolaccount.html