Case Summary:
Patricia Hearst, a newspaper heiress who was kidnapped in one of the most widely-covered crimes of the 1970s, appeals the verdict of a district court jury that found her guilty of the armed robbery of a San Francisco bank. After she was apprehended by authorities, Hearst asserted that she had been forced by her kidnappers to participate in the bank hold-up. Hearst insisted she acted under duress and that her kidnappers threatened to kill her if she failed to cooperate.
Decision of lower jurisdiction:
A district court jury found Hearst guilty of armed robbery. She later received two concurrent prison sentences totaling nine years. Hearst now appeals, claiming the trial judge erred in decisions concerning key pieces of evidence.
Outcome:
Hearst loses. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling.