rather be in, because I know I laid a lot of my thinking in his mind. Virga said he told the jury that Fromme assaulted Ford, but did not attempt to assassinate him. If Fromme had killed the president, no one would have listened to her, he said. She did n't want people to think she was a kook. And she was n't, he said, recalling that Fromme was very cooperative during her trial and describing her as a bright, intelligent young woman from a middle-class family. It's just hard to imagine how she got all caught up with Manson, he said. Fromme wanted to be heard on issues including the environment, he said. She had certain causes that she wanted to talk about. But first and foremost in her mind was always Manson. Explaining herself after the attempt, according to the book Real Life at the White House, Fromme said, Well, you know, when people treat you like a child and pay no attention to the things you say, you have to do something. During her trial, Virga traveled to Washington to depose Ford, who testified on videotape about the incident. In the 1978 interview, Fromme called Manson a once-in-a-lifetime soul.... He's got more heart and spirit than anyone I 've ever met. She said she still corresponded with him. He's got everything he wants coming from me, 'cause he gave me everything. She said then she did n't plan to seek a parole hearing: The parole board does not hold my