Thero Wheeler

Thero Wheeler
Born
Thero Lavon Wheeler

January 28, 1945
Schulenburg, Texas, U.S.
DiedMarch 2, 2009 (aged 64)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Known forFounding member of the Symbionese Liberation Army
PartnerMary Alice Siem

Thero Lavon Wheeler (1945–2009), aka Bruce Bradley while a fugitive (1973–1975), was a founding member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, an American left-wing organization in the San Francisco Bay area. He left the group in October 1973 as he objected to its plans to undertake violent acts. Law enforcement later classified the SLA as a terrorist group.

In the following several months, SLA soldiers committed two murders, kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, and conducted armed robberies of banks.[1][2] Believed to be a member of the group, Wheeler was put on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Six of the founding members died in a shootout and fire in a house in Los Angeles in May 1974, and Wheeler was thought possibly to be among them.

But by late 1973, Wheeler was living as Bruce Bradley in Houston, Texas. He worked there as an electronics technician. He had a girlfriend and their daughter was born in early 1975. Wheeler/Bradley was apprehended by the FBI in July 1975. After reviewing the case, the FBI said they did not want Wheeler "in connection with any SLA crimes". He was returned to California to serve time for the escape and complete his previous sentence.[3]

  1. ^ Committee, United States Congress House Internal Security (1974). Terrorism, a Staff Study Prepared by ..., August 1, 1974.
  2. ^ Caldwell, Earl (1974-02-23). "Symbionese Liberation Army: Terrorism From Left". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. ^ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.