By DPA,
Washington: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, convicted of trying to assassinate former US president Gerald Ford, was released Friday after spending 33 years in prison, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed.
Fromme, 60, pointed a loaded gun at Ford during a California event in 1975. A secret service agent managed to wrestle Fromme to the floor before she was able to pull the trigger.
A devoted follower of the infamous serial murderer Charles Manson, Fromme has been unrepentant about her crime. She had been eligible for parole as early as 1985 but refused a hearing, preferring to remain behind bars.
She was released Friday morning from Carswell Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, said spokeswoman Linda Thomas of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Manson, who remains imprisoned in California, developed a cult following in the 1960s who became known as the “Manson Family”, some of whom killed on his behalf. Manson was already serving a life sentence at the time of Fromme’s assassination attempt.