Arthur Bremer

Attempted Assassin / Convict

Arthur Bremer shot Alabama governor George Wallace at a presidential campaign rally in Laurel, Maryland on 15 May 1972. Wallace survived but was paralyzed from the waist down. Bremer was 21 years old and unemployed at the time of the shooting. He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 53 years in prison. Bremer's full term was expected to last until 2025, but in August of 2007 Maryland corrections officials announced he would be paroled later that year. He was released 9 November 2007, but state supervision is scheduled to continue until his original release date in 2025. According to news accounts from Baltimore, Bremer's early release was due to credits earned for good conduct.

Extra credit: Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison by a Maryland jury, but on appeal a three-judge panel reduced the final sentence to 53 years, giving him an original final release date of 2025... Bremer was reportedly the inspiration for the character of Travis Bickle (played by Robert DeNiro) in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film Taxi Driver.

Bremer appears with John Hinckley, Jr. in the loops Almost Assassinated and The Taxi Driver Connection.

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