John Wojtowicz

In 1972, John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a bank in Flatbush, New York with the help of Sal Naturile. The pair held seven Chase Manhattan bank employees hostage for 14 hours.

Related Topics:
1972 - Flatbush - New York - Sal Naturile - Chase Manhattan

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Wojtowicz's organized the heist in an effort to finance his boyfriend Ernest Aron's sex-change operation. Apparently, he based his plan on scenes from the movie "The Godfather," which he had seen earlier the same day. Television crews soon arrived outside the bank, and Wojtowicz played well to the cameras; the story became national news. The police soon arrested Wojtowicz and killed Naturile.

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Wojtowicz was convicted and served seven years of his 20 year sentence. However, he made $7,500 selling the movie rights to the story, and was able to help finance his boyfriend's sex change operation with these funds. Thus Ernest Aron became Liz Debbie Eden.

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In 1987, Time Magazine reported Elizabeth Debbie Eden, 41, formerly Ernest Aron, died of AIDS-related pneumonia in Rochester.

Related Topics:
1987 - Time Magazine - AIDS

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Wojtowicz's story was used as the basis for the film Dog Day Afternoon. The movie was released in 1975, starring Al Pacino as Wojtowicz and John Cazale, Pacino's co-star in The Godfather, as Naturile.

Related Topics:
Dog Day Afternoon - 1975 - Al Pacino - John Cazale - The Godfather

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Recent reports of Wojtowicz's demise, allegedly having happened in the late 80s, appear to be unfounded. He has recently been the subject of two documentaries, The Third Memory in 2000 and Based on A True Story in 2005. In 2001, the New York Times reported that he was living on welfare in Brooklyn.

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