Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme is a long time member of the Manson Family and a close friend of Sandra Good. Fromme received a life sentence for pointing a gun at President Gerald Ford in 1975.
Lynette Alice Fromme was born in Santa Monica, California on October 22, 1948, but grew up in Westchester, California. Fromme was the eldest of three children. Her mother, Helen, was a housewife, and her father, William, worked as an aeronautical engineer.
Fromme was a child performer, touring with a song and dance troop called the Westchester Lariats. In high school she was a member of Athenian Honor Society, and she was a member of Girls Athletic Club. Fromme also attended drama class where she met Phil Hartman, who later gained fame on shows like Saturday Night Live and the Simpsons.
Self-Mutilation
Fromme’s relationship with her father was tense, he seemed to punish her regularly for the smallest mistakes. She became rebellious and began experimenting with alcohol and different types of drugs. She also started to harm herself by burning herself with cigarettes and shooting staples into her arm with a staple gun. Her grades dropped at high school, but despite this she graduated in 1966.
Meeting Manson
After high school, Fromme went to college for a while but dropped out of college in 1967. Her parents kicked her out of the house, and Fromme moved to Venice Beach. One day Fromme was sitting on the curb near a bus stop when a bus stopped and a man got off.
The man looked at her and said ‘Your parents kicked you out, didn’t they?’ That man was Charles Manson. Fomme was convinced that Manson was a psychic and packed her things and followed him. Fromme became the second member of what would become the Manson family.
Tate/LaBianca
Although Fromme was not involved in the Manson murders, she showed her support for her brothers and sisters in jail by camping outside of the Hall Of Justice. Fromme shaved her head and carved an X into her forehead.
During the Tate/LaBianca murder trial Fromme often got into trouble and was often arrested with charges ranging from contempt of court, trespassing and attempted murder for the LSD-laced hamburger episode. Ruth Ann Moorehouse gave Barbara Hoyt a hamburger laced with 10 tabs of acid. Several family members were arrested for the attempted murder, the charges were later reduced to conspiracy to dissuade a witness from testifying.
After Manson was convicted, Fromme moved to San Francisco to be closer to Manson who at this time was serving time in San Quentin. Fromme kept in touch with her brothers and sisters in jail, but she was not permitted to see Manson. Around this time she started to write a book about the Manson family which would be released in 2018.
Willett Murders
In 1972, Fromme was arrested in connection with the Willett murders. The authorities didn’t have enough evidence that she was involved with the murders and released her from jail. After being released from jail, Fromme moved into a Sacramento apartment with fellow family member Sandra Good. The reason for the move was to be closer to Manson who had been moved from San Quentin to Folsom Prison.
Order Of The Rainbow / ATWA
While in Sacramento, Fromme and Good became preoccupied with the environment and joined Manson’s new religion called “The Order Of The Rainbow”. Fromme and Good became self-proclaimed nuns in this new order.
Manson gave the two girls a new nickname, Good was nicknamed ‘Blue’, and Fromme was nicknamed ‘Red’. Later, Manson, Fromme and Good started a new movement called ATWA, an environmental movement to protect the earth from pollution. ATWA is an abbreviation and stands for air, trees, water and animals.
Life Sentence
Fromme was handed a life sentence after pointing a gun at former President Gerald Ford in 1975. Throughout her years in prison Fromme corresponded with Manson, and she was one of the few who didn’t denounce Manson.
Fromme was sent to prison where she was reunited with her best friend and fellow Manson family member Sandra Good, who was serving her sentence there for sending threatening letters.
In March of 1979, Fromme attacked a fellow inmate with a claw hammer. Fromme got into a fight and hit the inmate on the head with the claw end of the hammer. In 1987, Fromme got the news that Manson was suffering from cancer. She escaped from prison and was on her way to Manson when she was arrested two days later. Fromme was released on parole on August 14, 2009, after serving 34 years.
