The abduction of Patty Hearst, often known as the Hearst Affair, is a fascinating true crime story from the 1970s. Hearst family heiress Patricia “Patty” Hearst was the granddaughter of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. The revolutionary left-wing Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) kidnapped her from her Berkeley, California, residence on February 4, 1974.

In exchange for Patty’s freedom, the SLA requested that the Hearst family give out millions of dollars’ worth of food to the needy. Shockingly, Patty finally joined in armed bank robberies with her captors after developing sympathy for them. She stated that she had changed her name to “Tania” and embraced the SLA’s beliefs.

Patty Hearst’s kidnapping and subsequent transformation into a revolutionary gripped the nation and prompted discussions on Stockholm Syndrome and the limits of free will in such trying situations. Patty’s apprehension by the police on September 18, 1975, and following trial became a public spectacle.

Patty Hearst received a seven-year prison sentence in 1976 after being convicted guilty of bank robbery. However, President Jimmy Carter shortened her sentence in 1979, and President Bill Clinton pardoned her in 2001.

The kidnapping of Patty Hearst is still fascinating decades after the fact, and it has sparked many discussions about the nuances of human nature, the power of persuasion, and the pervasiveness of radical beliefs in times of social and political turmoil.