‘Squeaky’ Fromme released from prison - US news - Crime & courts | NBC News ‘Squeaky’ Fromme released from prison Manson follower spent decades in prison for trying to shoot President Ford Below: x + - FORT WORTH, Texas — Three decades after basking in the national spotlight as "Squeaky" the infamous Charles Manson disciple who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford, the now 60-year-old woman slipped quietly out of a federal prison Friday after being released on parole. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme eluded the media as she left Fort Worth's Federal Medical Center Carswell in one of the many cars streaming in and out of the front gate Friday morning. She previously refused interview requests, and prison officials would not say where she planned to live or what she planned to do after more than 30 years behind bars. It was a far cry from her antics that captivated the nation's attention in the 1970s: shaving her red hair and carving an "X" into her forehead after Manson was convicted of orchestrating a mass murder, wearing a red robe when she pulled a gun on Ford, and being carried into her trial courtroom by marshals when she refused to walk.

In September 1975, Fromme pushed through a crowd, drew a semiautomatic .45-caliber pistol from a thigh holster and pointed it at Ford, who was shaking hands with well-wishers while walking to the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Secret Service agents grabbed her and the gun, and Ford was unhurt. Fromme was a college student before joining Manson's "family," where she reportedly got her nickname because of her voice. She was never implicated in the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and eight others, for which Manson is serving a life term in Corcoran State Prison in California. By many accounts, Fromme took over the group after that because Manson had always relied on her. During her own trial, Fromme either refused to attend or had outbursts. Her attorney John Virga argued that she simply wanted to call attention to environmental issues and Manson's case and never meant to kill Ford. A few bullets were in the gun but not in the chamber. "She was very articulate and soft-spoken ... but you could see a noticeable change in her demeanor when you mentioned Manson," Virga told The Associated Press on Friday.

"I think she was an example of a young woman who was led astray and got caught up in someone she shouldn't have." Advertise Video: Will You Kill for Me? Manson and followers Fromme was convicted and got a life term, becoming the first person sentenced under a special federal law covering assaults on U.S. presidents, a statute enacted after President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination. She later was sentenced to 15 years in prison, which was tacked onto her life term for threats against the president, after escaping in 1987 from a women's prison in West Virginia. She was recaptured two days later a few miles away after a massive search. Fromme had said she escaped to be closer to Manson after hearing rumors that he was dying. Fromme was granted parole in July 2008 for "good conduct time" but was not released until Friday because of the additional time for her escape, prison officials said. She will be on supervised release for two years, where general conditions include reporting regularly to a parole officer, not associating with criminals or owning guns or leaving the area, said Tom Hutchison, a U.S. Parole Commission spokesman.

He declined to say where Fromme will live or if she will have to meet additional conditions sometimes imposed on parolees, depending on their crimes. Future unknown It's unclear if Fromme will return to California. Some of her relatives who still live there did not immediately return calls to The AP on Friday. Virga, who has not communicated with Fromme since the trial, said relatives did not attend the trial but that Fromme always spoke highly of her mother and siblings. Fromme had been at the Fort Worth prison since 1998. The facility specializes in providing medical and mental health services to female offenders and also has a maximum-security unit, a minimum-security camp and an area for low-security inmates, said Carswell spokeswoman Dr. Maria Douglas, declining to say where Fromme had been housed. Prison officials previously said she was placed in the maximum-security unit for inmates who have escaped or been involved in assaults.

Fromme started out at the West Virginia prison, then was transferred to the prison at Pleasanton, California, in 1978 after officials said she had become a "model inmate." But she was sent back to West Virginia in 1979 as punishment for hitting another inmate with a hammer while the two tended a garden on the prison grounds. She later was moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and then to Marianna, Florida. Fromme declined a recent interview request from The AP. In 2005, Fromme responded to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's interview request with a 35-line letter in elegant cursive handwriting, the newspaper reported. At the time she had not sought release, although she became eligible for parole in 1985. "I stood up and waved a gun (at Ford) for a reason," she wrote. "I was so relieved not to have to shoot it, but, in truth, I came to get life. Not just my life but clean air, healthy water and respect for creatures and creation." Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Squeaky' Fromme assassination attempt recalled by President Ford in video - CSMonitor.com 'Squeaky' Fromme assassination attempt recalled by President Ford in video Latest News 'Squeaky' Fromme: The roughly 20-minute interview taped in Washington for Fromme's trial was released Monday by a federal court as the result of a motion filed by a Sacramento historical group. By Associated Press Save for later Saved US Secret Service agents put handcuffs on Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme after she pointed at President Gerald Ford, in Sacramento, Calif, Sept. 5, 1975. Almost 38 years after the assassination attempt, a federal judge has allowed the release of a videotaped testimony given by Ford, that was later used in Fromme's trial. AP/File View Caption of SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Newly released footage shows President Gerald Ford calmly and carefully recalling how Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a Charles Manson disciple, tried to kill him in a Sacramento park. The roughly 20-minute interview taped in Washington for Fromme's trial was released Monday by a federal court as the result of a motion filed by a Sacramento historical group.

In the tape, Ford gestures gently with his hands and sips water as he answers questions from a lawyer about what began as a routine morning in September 1975 before Fromme pushed through a crowd on the street, drew a semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at Ford. Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 01/17 The tape had been sealed since the case and was largely forgotten in the years since. It was released at the request of the Eastern District Historical Society, a nonprofit that seeks to preserve the history of the federal court based in Sacramento. The case was the first in history featuring oral testimony from a sitting president in a criminal trial. In the taped testimony posted online by The Sacramento Bee, Ford recalled seeing a "weathered" woman in a brightly colored dress as he walked toward a building where he planned to meet with the governor. She "appeared to want to either shake hands or speak, or at least wanted to get closer to me," Ford says. He then saw a large gun coming through the crowd of well-wishers. But when asked if he saw the face of who was holding it, he answered, "No, I did not." The gun was about 2 feet away from him, Ford said.

"It was simply the hand with the weapon in it, at a height between my knee and my waist, approximately," Ford said. He then described a frantic moment when a security agent seized the suspect and Ford was rushed away. Fromme was sentenced under a law covering assaults on U.S. presidents. She was released from prison in 2009. Fromme received her nickname from Manson's "family" because of her voice. She was never implicated in the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and eight others, for which Manson is serving a life term in California. Ford died at his Southern California home on Dec. 26, 2006. He was 93. Next up Get the Monitor stories you care about delivered to your inbox. Daily Hinckley, Moore and Fromme all tried to kill a president. And soon all three will be free - LA Times Hinckley, Moore and Fromme all tried to kill a president. And soon all three will be free Assassination attempt Associated Press John Hinckley Jr. used this .22 revolver when he tried to kill President Reagan on March 31, 1981. John Hinckley Jr.

used this .22 revolver when he tried to kill President Reagan on March 31, 1981. (Associated Press) By Alexia Fernandez The upcoming release of John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot President Reagan, will create a first in American history: There will soon be three would-be presidential assassins free. Timothy P. McCarthy, a historian of American politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, said the coincidence of Hinckley, Sara Jane Moore and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme all being free from custody comes at a tense time in American politics. Their presence is a reminder of an earlier, turbulent era. “The political rhetoric in this historic presidential election is reaching a heated, at times violent, fever pitch,” he said. But McCarthy also noted, “Sometimes the impulse to punish is mediated by the impulse to forgive or to heal.” Secret Service agents lead Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme away after she pointed a gun at President Gerald Ford in Sacramento in 1975. (Associated Press) Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme Background: Fromme was born in Santa Monica on Oct. 22, 1948.

After graduating from Redondo Union High School, she met Charles Manson and became a member of the “Manson Family.” She was never charged in the Tate-LaBianca murders, but became a fixture during Manson’s trial in Los Angeles, frequently commenting to the media and expressing her devotion to Manson. Assassination attempt: Fromme pointed a loaded gun on President Ford in Sacramento on Sept. 5, 1975, while Ford was en route to a meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown at the Capitol. Ford was walking through a crowd when he saw Fromme move her hand toward him. Secret Service agents pounced on Fromme and hauled Ford away to safety. Trial: Ford became the first president to testify in a criminal trial, saying he saw the gun but had “no recollection of hearing the woman say anything or of hearing the handgun click.” Fromme was convicted of attempted assassination of a president and sentenced to life in prison. Release: Fromme became eligible for parole in 1985, as it was allowed under the law at the time, according to Felicia Ponce, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, who spoke to CNN .

Fromme had the option of waiving her rights to a hearing, which she did that year. She briefly escaped in 1987. She came up for parole again in 2008 and was released a year later. Now: Fromme, 68, has kept a low profile. After her release she moved to Marcy, N.Y., to live with her boyfriend, according to Inside Edition . Quote: At her sentencing, the judge said he believed she would have killed Ford if she could have. Fromme shouted, “You fool! I’m trying to save your life!” Ford family: In a 2004 interview on “Larry King Live,” Betty Ford recounted how the assassination attempt affected her: “After the first attempt on his life by Squeaky Fromme, every time he left the White House, I used to go on the balcony and pray that somehow he would come back and avoid anything like that again. But, of course, there was another one which made me even more apprehensive.” Sara Jane Moore on her way to federal court in 1975 in San Francisco, where a judge accepted her guilty plea for trying to kill President Gerald Ford.

(Associated Press) Sara Jane Moore Background: Born Feb. 15, 1930, in Charleston, W.Va., Moore was an aspiring actress and nurse who married five times, became estranged from her family and abandoned three of her children. She had been treated for mental illness. Assassination attempt: Just 17 days after Fromme’s attempt on Ford’s life, Moore waited with a loaded revolver outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, where Ford was staying. When Ford appeared, she raised her arm, ready to fire. Oliver Sipple, a former Marine standing next to her, saw the weapon and deflected her arm just as the gun went off. The bullet sailed over the president’s head. He was uninjured. Trial: Moore’s lawyers were preparing a defense related to her mental illness, but she pleaded guilty against their advice. She was given a life sentence with a possibility of parole. Release: Moore was paroled in 2007 after 32 years in a low-security federal prison for women in Dublin, Calif. Her parole was grandfathered by federal laws that have since been tightened.

Now: In 2015, Moore was interviewed by CNN remotely, her location listed only as North Carolina. She is now 86 years old. Quote: “Am I sorry I tried?” Moore said at her sentencing. “Yes and no. Yes, because it accomplished little except to throw away the rest of my life, although I realize there are those who think that’s the one good thing resulting from this. And no, I’m not sorry I tried, because at the time it seemed a correct expression of my anger…” Ford family: In a 2004 interview, Ford described his two would-be assassins: “But I guess these people who do attempt assassinations are unusual. Squeaky Fromme certainly was off her mind. Sara Jane Moore, the same way.” This image of John Hinckley Jr. was used as evidence during his trial. (Associated Press) John Hinckley Jr. Background: Hinckley, born May 29, 1955, in Ardmore, Okla., suffered from depression and obsessive tendencies his entire life. He dropped out of college in 1976 and moved to California, where he developed an obsession with Jodie Foster.

He later said that he thought killing a president would gain her attention and impress her. Assassination attempt: Hinckley stalked President Carter before focusing on Reagan after he took office in January 1981. Hinckley shot Reagan, along with three other people, two months later, March 30, as the president left the Washington Hilton Hotel after delivering a speech. All those wounded survived, though White House Press Secretary Jim Brady suffered permanent brain damage and went on to become a fervent gun control advocate. Trial: In 1982, a jury found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity. The verdict caused Congress to tighten laws on using insanity as a defense. Release: Hinckley was never imprisoned but has spent the last 34 years in a mental institution. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman signed an order for Hinckley’s release from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on Aug. 5. He will live with his 89-year-old mother, Jo Ann Hinckley, in Williamsburg, Va.

Now: Hinckley, 61, must notify the Secret Service and therapists of his whereabouts at all times, receive psychotherapy and refrain from contacting Reagan’s descendants or Foster, among others. He is barred from giving interviews. Quote: In a 1989 court hearing concerning his request to have access to speak to the news media, Hinckley said, “I don’t believe I am this seriously ill person.” Reagan family: Patti Davis, Reagan’s daughter, spoke out against Hinckley’s release on her website. In a blog post after news of his impending release, she wrote, “I’m not surprised by this latest development, but my heart is sickened.

If John Hinckley is haunted by anything, I think it’s that he didn’t succeed in his mission to assassinate the president.” Lynette Squeaky Fromme, Charles Manson Follower Released from Prison - ABC News ABC News Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme, Manson Follower and Would-Be Assassin Out of Prison By Mark Mooney Email Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme , the would-be assasin who took aim at President Gerald Ford 34 years ago and the chief disciple of serial killer Charles Manson, was released from a federal prison in Texas this morning, said a prison spokeswoman. Fromme, 60, had previously completed her sentence for the assassination attempt in July 2008, but was ordered to serve additional time for a 1987 prison escape. "Lynette Fromme was released about 8 a.m. today," prison spokeswoman Maria Douglas told ABCNews.com. She had finished her term at from the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. Play null Douglas said that Manson's former right-hand acolyte will be supervised by the U.S. Parole Commission.

When asked whether Fromme had remained in contact with Manson, she said, ""We can't release that information, but it may be a parole stipulation" that she not contact him. Tom Hutchinson, spokesman for the U.S.Parole Commission, declined t reveal Fromme's whereabouts but said she will have to check in with her supervising officer within 72 hours and after that at least monthly, and sometimes more often. He said that Fromme will be on parole for the duration of her sentence, which in her case is for the rest of her life. Fromme took aim at Ford with a semi-automatic .45-caliber pistol Sept. 5, 1975. There were four bullets in the gun's magazine, but none in the chamber and an alert Secret Service agent grabbed the gun from Fromme. At the time of the assassination attempt, Manson and several of his followers were serving life terms for killing nine people in his grisly Helter Skelter plot to start a race war. Fromme told her defense attorney that she targeted Ford because she wanted to garner attention for a new trial for Manson.

Her trial lawyer, John Virga, told ABCNews.com that he hadn't heard from Fromme since her conviction and did not know where she would be going when she got out of prison. But she had to have arranged a place to go before prison officials would release her. Seventeen days after Fromme's assassination attempt, Sara Jane Moore also tried to kill the president. Moore was released from prison earlier this year. Fromme's release comes just days after the 40th anniversary of the murder of actress Sharon Tate and nine others during a bloody weekend of slaughter that was ordered by Manson. Though technically slated to be released on Aug. 16, Fromme was likely set free today because her official release date falls on a Sunday. Her release has raised questions inside the law enforcement community about whether time in prison can temper the impulses of serious criminals. "The greatest predictor for potential violence is a history of violence," Eugene O'Donnell, a professor of law and police science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, previously told ABC News. "Any time you release someone with a violent past it's a gamble.

We just have to keep our fingers crossed." "That said, it is relatively rare to see someone of advanced age committing serious crimes," he added. Fromme was one of Manson's earliest followers and remained devoted to him. During his murder trial, Fromme and other female followers camped outside the courthouse, and when Manson showed up in court with an X carved into his forehead, Fromme carved an X into her forehead. Prosecutor Bugliosi Warns There Is Danger in Letting Fromme Out of Prison During the trial, Fromme was convicted of trying to prevent other "Family" members from testifying and of contempt of court for refusing to testify herself. She was given short jail terms. The prosecutor who put Charles Manson behind bars 40 years ago said Fromme remained a danger and said she should not be released from prison. "If you do something like that against the president of the United States, the need for deterrence increases when you're talking about the most important person," said, Vincent Bugliosi, the former Los Angeles County assistant district attorney. "She was the main gal in the family. Once Manson left the ranch, if he was anywhere else she was in charge," Bugliosi said.

During her own incarceration for the Ford assassination attempt, Fromme attacked another inmate in 1979 with a claw hammer and was transferred out of the women's prison in Dublin, Calif. In 1987, Fromme became so upset at the news that Manson had testicular cancer that she broke out of the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia in an attempt to reach Manson. She was captured two days later. 0 Shares Would-be assassin 'Squeaky' Fromme is paroled - SFGate Would-be assassin 'Squeaky' Fromme is paroled Texas By Henry K. Lee , San Francisco Chronicle Published 4:00 am, Saturday, August 15, 2009 Photo: AP Close Image 1 of 3 This is a 1970 photo of Manson "family" member Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, at pre-trial hearings in Los Angeles. (AP Photo) This is a 1970 photo of Manson "family" member Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, at pre-trial hearings in Los Angeles. (AP Photo) Photo: AP Image 2 of 3 FILE - In this Nov.

25, 1975 file photo, Lynette Fromme sits in a U.S. Marshal's auto in Sacramento, Calif. as she returned to jail when jurors in her trial recessed for the evening. Fromme is accused of attempting to assassinate President Ford with a gun outside the California Capitol in Sacramento on Sept. 5. The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the court-appointed attorney who represented Fromme at trial say the now 60-year-old is to be released from the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, on Aug. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Walt Zeboski, Pool) less FILE - In this Nov. 25, 1975 file photo, Lynette Fromme sits in a U.S. Marshal's auto in Sacramento, Calif. as she returned to jail when jurors in her trial recessed for the evening. Fromme is accused of ... more Photo: Walt Zeboski, AP Image 3 of 3 U.S. Secret Service agents put handcuffs on Lynette Fromme after she allegedly pointed a gun at President Gerald Ford as he walked from his hotel to the State Capitol building in Sacramento, Ca., on Sept.

5, 1975. The agent holding Fromme at center, wearing dark glasses, is Larry Bruendorf. (AP Photo) less U.S. Secret Service agents put handcuffs on Lynette Fromme after she allegedly pointed a gun at President Gerald Ford as he walked from his hotel to the State Capitol building in Sacramento, Ca., on Sept. 5, ... more Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS Would-be assassin 'Squeaky' Fromme is paroled 1 / 3 Back to Gallery Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, the Charles Manson follower who tried to shoot President Gerald Ford outside the state Capitol in Sacramento in 1975, was released Friday from a federal prison hospital in Texas, ending a 34-year stint behind bars. Fromme, 60, was freed at 8 a.m. local time (6 a.m. PDT) from the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, said Dr. Maria Douglas , spokeswoman for the prison hospital. Fromme had been serving a life sentence in Texas.

A federal parole board granted her parole in July 2008, but her release was delayed because she had to serve additional time for an escape from a West Virginia prison in 1987. She completed the 15-month sentence for the breakout and was released "via good-conduct time," Douglas said. It was not clear where Fromme was heading once she left prison. John Virga, a Sacramento attorney who represented Fromme in her assassination-attempt trial, said Friday that he hadn't spoken to her in decades. But he added, "The prison authorities would not have released her if she wasn't safe to go back into society. I think she's a very bright, intelligent woman. I think she'll do well." Fromme's attempt on Ford's life came six years after Manson followers committed the "Helter Skelter" murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. Fromme did not take part in those killings. She was arrested in connection with another homicide, but the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. Fromme stood vigil at the Manson trial and, like other supporters, carved an "X" on her forehead as a sign of solidarity. From her appearance, Fromme was an unlikely would-be assassin.

She was freckle-faced and weighed barely 100 pounds. Manson, who had recruited her off the streets in Southern California, called her "Squeaky" because of her voice. Fromme professed her love for him, saying, "Charlie's in love with love. And I'm in love with love, so I'm in love with Charlie. All of us are." When Manson was serving time in Folsom Prison, she moved to nearby Sacramento, where she tried to interest reporters in her cause. Manson is now at Corcoran State Prison. The assassination attempt happened Sept. 5, 1975, as Ford was walking across the Capitol grounds in Sacramento en route to address the state Legislature. Fromme was in the crowd, wearing a red, robe-like dress. As Ford drew near, Fromme pulled a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, aimed it at the president and pulled the trigger. Witnesses nearby heard the "click" of the hammer dropping. Secret Service agents later found that the pistol had four rounds in its magazine, but the chamber was empty. Agents swarmed Fromme and wrestled the weapon from her hand as she shouted, "Don't get excited!

It didn't go off! It didn't go off!" Seventeen days later, another woman, Sara Jane Moore , fired at Ford outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. An ex-Marine grabbed her arm, causing the shot to ricochet off a building and wound a bystander. Moore was paroled in 2007. Ford died of natural causes in 2006 at age 93. Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on Ford's life. She served a couple of years in the women's prison in Dublin, but was transferred after attacking another inmate with a claw hammer. The Texas prison hospital from which Fromme was released Friday is for female inmates with special medical or mental health needs. Authorities would not say why Fromme was there. Latest from the SFGATE homepage: Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.

After 34 years, Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme to be released - CNN.com After 34 years, Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme to be released Story Highlights "Squeaky" Fromme was convicted in 1975 of pointing a gun at then-President Ford For years, she was one of Charles Manson's few remaining followers According to reports, she for years waived her right to a parole hearing She was not involved in the murders that landed Manson, other followers in prison By Ashley Hayes CNN (CNN) -- The president she once pointed a gun at has been dead for nearly three years, and her longtime idol and leader, Charles Manson, remains in prison. Lynnette "Squeaky" Fromme appears in court in Los Angeles, California, in December 1969. However, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is about to get her first taste of real freedom in more than three decades. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Fromme, now 60, is set to be released on parole August 16. Fromme is housed at Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.

For years, she was one of Manson's few remaining followers, as many other "Manson Family" members have shunned him. A prison spokeswoman would not say whether Fromme continues to correspond with Manson. Fromme was convicted in 1975 of pointing a gun at then-President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California. Secret Service agents prevented her from firing, but the gun was later found to have no bullet in the chamber, although it contained a clip of ammunition. In a 1987 interview with CNN affiliate WCHS, Fromme, then housed in West Virginia, recalled the president "had his hands out and was waving ... and he looked like cardboard to me. But at the same time, I had ejected the bullet in my apartment and I used the gun as it was." Don't Miss In Depth: Manson Murders and the Summer of 1969 She said she knew Ford was in town and near her, "and I said, 'I gotta go and talk to him,' and then I thought, 'That's foolish. He's not going to stop and talk to you.' People have already shown you can lay blood in front of them and they're not, you know, they don't think anything of it.

I said, 'Maybe I'll take the gun,' and I thought, 'I have to do this. This is the time.' " She said it never occurred to her that she could wind up in prison. Asked whether she had any regrets, Fromme said, "No. No, I don't. I feel it was fate." However, she said she thought that her incarceration was "unnecessary" and that she couldn't see herself repeating her offense. "My argument to the jury was, if she wanted to kill him, she would have shot him," John Virga, a Sacramento attorney appointed to defend Fromme, told CNN on Tuesday. "She'd been around guns. And let's be realistic: We know the Manson family, at least some of them, are killers." Fromme was sentenced to life in prison, but parole was an option at the time, although the federal system later abolished it, said Felicia Ponce, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons. Inmates do receive "good time" -- for every year and one day they serve, Ponce said, 54 days are lopped off their sentence. Fromme became eligible for parole in 1985, Ponce said.

According to reports, she for years waived her right to a parole hearing. The Bureau of Prisons would not say whether she changed her mind and requested a hearing, but the U.S. Parole Commission's Web site says that everyone who wishes to be considered for parole, except those committed under juvenile delinquency procedures, must complete a parole application. Federal inmates serving life are generally paroled after 30 years, unless the parole commission decides to block the release, according to a commission spokesman. Inmates who are paroled remain under supervision until the commission decides to terminate the sentence. Fromme was not granted parole until July 2008, Ponce said. She was not released then, however, because of extra time added to her sentence for a 1987 escape from the West Virginia prison, which occurred after her interview that same year. She was found two days later, only a few miles from the prison. At the time, prison officials said they were looking into rumors that Fromme escaped after hearing Manson was ill, according to news reports. FMC-Carswell spokeswoman Maria Douglas would not comment on Fromme's behavior in prison in recent years.

Fromme reportedly joined Manson's family after meeting him in California in 1967. She was not involved in the murders of seven people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate, on August 9 and 10, 1969, that landed Manson and other followers in prison. However, she and other Manson followers maintained a vigil outside the courthouse during his trial. In the WCHS interview, Fromme said that Manson should not be incarcerated because "he didn't kill anybody. ... I would rather be in, because I know I laid a lot of my thinking in his mind." Virga said he told the jury that Fromme assaulted Ford, but did not attempt to assassinate him. If Fromme had killed the president, no one would have listened to her, he said. "She didn't want people to think she was a kook." And she wasn't, he said, recalling that Fromme was very cooperative during her trial and describing her as "a bright, intelligent young woman" from a middle-class family. "It's just hard to imagine how she got all caught up with Manson," he said. Fromme wanted to be heard on issues including the environment, he said. "She had certain causes that she wanted to talk about.

But first and foremost in her mind was always Manson." Explaining herself after the attempt, according to the book "Real Life at the White House," Fromme said, "Well, you know, when people treat you like a child and pay no attention to the things you say, you have to do something." During her trial, Virga traveled to Washington to depose Ford, who testified on videotape about the incident. In the 1978 interview, Fromme called Manson "a once-in-a-lifetime soul. ... He's got more heart and spirit than anyone I've ever met." She said she still corresponded with him. "He's got everything he wants coming from me, 'cause he gave me everything." She said then she didn't plan to seek a parole hearing: "The parole board does not hold my life in its hands. And I don't want to be too critical, but men tend to think they do. Charlie never thought he did. He never expressed all this desire for power, this desire for acceptance." Ford died in 2006 at age 93. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation did not respond to CNN requests for comment on Fromme's release.

Virga, who is still practicing in Sacramento, said he had not heard from Fromme since her sentencing in 1975. "I wish her the best, and hope everything works out for her, and hope she stays out of trouble," he said. "She needs to stay out of trouble. She's been in prison a long time ... it was, in my mind, a tragedy that she wound up a disciple of Manson." Manson Follower 'Squeaky' Fromme Cool and Calm in Mental Exam Tape - NBC News advertisement A judge released a recording of an interview with former Manson “family” member Lynette Alice “Squeaky” Fromme , the woman who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford -- almost 39 years after her failed attempt. U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller released the 1975 recording following a request by The Sacramento Bee newspaper . The interview was done at the time to determine her competency to stand trial. The psychiatrist decided Fromme was competent and could represent herself at her trial, if she desired. Fromme was eventually represented by a court-appointed attorney.

When asked whether she understood her charges, Fromme replied, “Attempted assassination of the president of the United States." Lynette Fromme, a.k.a. Squeaky, an acolyte of Charles Manson, being led away after her failed attempt to kill President Ford. Keystone / Consolidated News Pictures / Getty Images file Her voice isn't shaky when she tells the psychiatrist she is aware she could face "from a number of years to life in prison" for her actions. Fromme pointed a loaded gun at Ford in Sacramento's Capitol Park on Sept. 5, 1975. In the recently released recording, the woman confidently tells her interviewer she feels she has "probably a 70-percent chance on the percentage scale" to be found not guilty. Those hopes were dashed when she was found guilty and sentenced to life. She was released in 2009. In the interview, Fromme also discussed the way she was being portrayed in the media at the time, her vegetarian diet, her drug usage and being part of the cult-like "family" centered around Charles Manson. Sounding calm when asked how she was dealing with her situation, Fromme told the psychiatrist she didn't feel anxious or tense.

"I make the best of every situation I'm in," she said. —Becky Bratu Woman Who Tried to Kill Ford Set for Aug. 16 Release - ABC News ABC News Woman Who Tried to Kill Ford Set for Aug. 16 Release By EILEEN MURPHY Email Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme , the Charles Manson cult follower who tried to kill President Ford, is scheduled to be released from prison next week. Fromme, now 60, took aim at the president with a semi-automatic .45-caliber pistol Sept. 5, 1975. There were four bullets in the gun's magazine, but none in the chamber and an alert Secret Service agent grabbed the gun from Fromme. Fromme was a devoted member of the demonic Manson "Family." At the time of the assassination attempt, Manson and several of his followers were serving life terms for killing nine people in his grisly Helter Skelter plot to start a race war. Play null She told her defense attorney that she targeted Ford because she wanted to garner attention for a new trial for Manson. Seventeen days after Fromme's assassination attempt, another Manson "Family" member, Sara Jane Moore, also tried to kill the president.

Moore was released from prison earlier this year. Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Fromme had already completed her sentence for the Ford assassination attempt. That term was up in July 2008. But Fromme was ordered to serve additional time for a 1987 prison escape. Fromme is scheduled for release Aug. 16, just a few days after the 40th anniversary of the murder of actress Sharon Tate and nine others during a bloody weekend of slaughter that was ordered by Manson. But because the 16th falls on a weekend, Fromme could be out as soon as Friday, Aug. 14, Billingslley said. Fromme was one of Manson's earliest followers and remained devoted to him. During his murder trial, Fromme and other female followers camped outside the courthouse, and when Manson showed up in court with an X carved into his forehead, Fromme carved an X into her forehead. During the trial, Fromme was convicted of trying to prevent other "Family" members from testifying and of contempt of court for refusing to testify herself. She was given short jail terms.

Fromme and other female followers later sent nude photos of themselves to imprisoned members of the Aryan Brotherhood to convince them to protect Manson in prison. "Squeaky" Fromme Once Escaped in an Attempt to See Manson During her own incarceration for the Ford assassination attempt, Fromme attacked another inmate in 1979 with a claw hammer and was transferred out of the women's prison in Dublin, Calif. In 1987, Fromme became so upset at the news that Manson had testicular cancer that she broke out of the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia in an attempt to reach Manson. She was captured two days later. 0 Shares

Question: Who did Squeaky Fromme try to assassinate?
Answer: Gerald Ford