American criminal best known as a member of the “Manson family” and for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. Charles Manson nicknamed her “Red” in honor of her red hair.
She had begun a correspondence with newscaster Chuck Rossi of NBC in August 1975. A worshipful follower of Charles Manson, she wanted to get him on TV with his message of enlightenment. Rossi would not agree so she decided to stalk and shoot Ford to get the publicity that would put her on TV.
On 5 September 1975 in Sacramento she watched as Ford and his entourage left the Senator Hotel at 9:45 AM. Petite and childlike, in a red gown and red turban, she followed the crowd and angled in to meet Ford face to face. She fumbled in her robe for her pistol and aimed at his genitals. A secret service man grabbed the gun and everyone piled on her.
The attempt got her the publicity she wanted; she was on TV, but she also was sent to prison, and she never did get Manson or his message across.
In 1979, Fromme was transferred out of Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, for attacking fellow inmate Julienne Buši? with a hammer. On 23 December 1987, she escaped from Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia, attempting to meet Manson, who had testicular cancer. She was captured two days later and incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell, in Fort Worth, Texas. She was released from this jail on parole on 14 August 2009 after serving nearly 34 years.
Around 1973, Fromme started work on an extensive 600-page book about the Manson family, including intricate drawings and photos; other family members had contributed to it as well. The book, Reflexion, was eventually published in 2018 by the Peasenhall Press.
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