Thero Wheeler
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.
Thero Wheeler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thero Lavon Wheeler January 28, 1945 Schulenburg, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 2, 2009 (aged 64) |
| Known for | Founding member of the Symbionese Liberation Army |
| Partner | Mary Alice Siem |
In the following several months, SLA "soldiers" committed two murders, kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, and conducted armed robberies of banks. 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.