John Hinckley Jr., failed Ronald Reagan assassin, to be freed
The man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan can soon go home to his mom.
John Hinckley Jr. is ready to leave a Washington mental hospital and live full-time in Virginia, Washington D.C. District Judge Paul Friedman wrote Wednesday.
The 103-page ruling comes more than 35 years after the March 30, 1981, shooting outside a Washington hotel in which Reagan and three others were injured.
Doctors have said for many years that the now 61-year-old Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting, is no longer plagued by the mental illness that drove him to shoot Reagan in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster.
“It is fair to say the lives of few people have been scrutinized with the care and detail that John Hinckley’s has been,” Friedman wrote.
For more than 27 years, “Mr. Hinckley, by all accounts, has shown no signs of psychotic symptoms, delusional thinking, or any violent tendencies.”
He could be back home full-time as soon as August 5.
The failed assassin’s release — with restrictions — has been more than a decade in the making.
In late 2003, Hinckley began leaving St. Elizabeths Hospital for day visits with parents in Williamsburg, Va. His mother has been his sole custodian since 2006 following his father’s decline in health.
The length of those visits — at times under the surveillance of the Secret Service — steadily increased and Hinckley has complied with the judge’s orders, Friedman wrote.
He has spent time volunteering at a church as well as a local mental hospital. He has attended meetings for people living with mental illness, talks at a local art museum and concerts.
His hobbies include painting and playing the guitar and he has recently developed an interest in photography. He’s also indicated he’d like to get a full-time job and at one point went to Starbucks and Subway to talk about applying.
Friedman noted that Hinckley has come a long way since 1981, when he was a “profoundly troubled 25-year-old young man suffering from active and acute psychosis and major depression.”
He was obsessed with “Taxi Driver” and identified with Travis Bickle, the unhinged, isolated cabbie who plots to assassinate a presidential candidate. That obsession led to him attempting to impress Foster by stalking President Jimmy Carter in 1980. He was arrested with guns and ammo at a Nashville airport, where Carter was to make an appearance.
On March 30, 1981, Hinckley attempted to assassinate Reagan. In addition to severely wounding the president, he shot Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and a police officer, Thomas Delahanty. Brady suffered permanent brain damage and died in 2014.
After being found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982, he attempted suicide in St. Elizabeths.
But the many doctors who have examined Hinckley say that he has steadily improved.
“Since 1983, when he last attempted suicide, he has displayed no symptoms of active mental illness, exhibited no violent behavior, shown no interest in weapons, and demonstrated no suicidal intention,” the judge wrote.
Hinckley will still face numerous restrictions. He must remain within a 50-mile radius of Williamsburg and must disclose information regarding his cellphone and cars he will drive. His use of computers is also restricted.
The court said it will pay particularly close attention to his relationships with women. Documents indicate he has had relationships with a who suffered from mental illness, though he acted “as an anchor and advocate for her.”
“Isolation remains a primary risk factor for Mr. Hinckley, who is by nature an introverted person,” documents read.
But Hinckley has made efforts to avoid solitude, the judge wrote. He has gone bowling, attended lectures, outdoor concerts and joined a community center for exercise. He’s made friends with two photographers in Williamsburg and regularly attends meetings of a chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
He’s been unable to land a paid job due to “some resistance in the Williamsburg community,” documents note. In the meantime he’s helped with landscaping at a Unitarian Universalist Church.
“I don’t like flipping around the TV, I want to do things,” a court document quoted him saying, adding that he wants to “fit in” and be “a good citizen.”
The man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan can soon go home to his mom.
John Hinckley Jr. is ready to leave a Washington mental hospital and live full-time in Virginia, Washington D.C. District Judge Paul Friedman wrote Wednesday.
The 103-page ruling comes more than 35 years after the March 30, 1981, shooting outside a Washington hotel in which Reagan and three others were injured.
Doctors have said for many years that the now 61-year-old Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting, is no longer plagued by the mental illness that drove him to shoot Reagan in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster.
“It is fair to say the lives of few people have been scrutinized with the care and detail that John Hinckley’s has been,” Friedman wrote.
For more than 27 years, “Mr. Hinckley, by all accounts, has shown no signs of psychotic symptoms, delusional thinking, or any violent tendencies.”
He could be back home full-time as soon as August 5.
The failed assassin’s release — with restrictions — has been more than a decade in the making.
In late 2003, Hinckley began leaving St. Elizabeths Hospital for day visits with parents in Williamsburg, Va. His mother has been his sole custodian since 2006 following his father’s decline in health.
The length of those visits — at times under the surveillance of the Secret Service — steadily increased and Hinckley has complied with the judge’s orders, Friedman wrote.
He has spent time volunteering at a church as well as a local mental hospital. He has attended meetings for people living with mental illness, talks at a local art museum and concerts.
His hobbies include painting and playing the guitar and he has recently developed an interest in photography. He’s also indicated he’d like to get a full-time job and at one point went to Starbucks and Subway to talk about applying.
Friedman noted that Hinckley has come a long way since 1981, when he was a “profoundly troubled 25-year-old young man suffering from active and acute psychosis and major depression.”
He was obsessed with “Taxi Driver” and identified with Travis Bickle, the unhinged, isolated cabbie who plots to assassinate a presidential candidate. That obsession led to him attempting to impress Foster by stalking President Jimmy Carter in 1980. He was arrested with guns and ammo at a Nashville airport, where Carter was to make an appearance.
On March 30, 1981, Hinckley attempted to assassinate Reagan. In addition to severely wounding the president, he shot Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and a police officer, Thomas Delahanty. Brady suffered permanent brain damage and died in 2014.
After being found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982, he attempted suicide in St. Elizabeths.
But the many doctors who have examined Hinckley say that he has steadily improved.
“Since 1983, when he last attempted suicide, he has displayed no symptoms of active mental illness, exhibited no violent behavior, shown no interest in weapons, and demonstrated no suicidal intention,” the judge wrote.
Hinckley will still face numerous restrictions. He must remain within a 50-mile radius of Williamsburg and must disclose information regarding his cellphone and cars he will drive. His use of computers is also restricted.
The court said it will pay particularly close attention to his relationships with women. Documents indicate he has had relationships with a who suffered from mental illness, though he acted “as an anchor and advocate for her.”
“Isolation remains a primary risk factor for Mr. Hinckley, who is by nature an introverted person,” documents read.
But Hinckley has made efforts to avoid solitude, the judge wrote. He has gone bowling, attended lectures, outdoor concerts and joined a community center for exercise. He’s made friends with two photographers in Williamsburg and regularly attends meetings of a chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
He’s been unable to land a paid job due to “some resistance in the Williamsburg community,” documents note. In the meantime he’s helped with landscaping at a Unitarian Universalist Church.
“I don’t like flipping around the TV, I want to do things,” a court document quoted him saying, adding that he wants to “fit in” and be “a good citizen.”
