John Hinckley, who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, granted unconditional release
The would-be assassin who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981 has been granted unrestricted freedom.
A U.S. District Court Judge ruled Wednesday that John Hinckley, who spent more than two decades in a mental hospital following a successful insanity claim, will not have his electronic devices, online accounts or travel plans monitored by officials.
For nearly the past two decades, Hinckley has been allowed to go out within his community for long periods of time, so long as he continued undergoing therapy and adhered to travel restrictions.
Hinckley, born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, has called Virginia his full-time home since 2016. He stayed with his mother in Williamsburg prior to her death in summer 2021.
In this Nov. 18, 2003, file photo, John Hinckley Jr. arrives at U.S. District Court in Washington. (Evan Vucci/)
Prosecutors said they’d expected Judge Paul L. Friedman to make good on his decision in September to offer Hinckley complete freedom by June 15 if he continued showing no signs of mental health issues or an interest in weapons and exhibited no violent behavior.
“He has been in full, sustained remission for more than 25 years,” Friedman said Wednesday. “He has followed every condition imposed by the court. He has demonstrated self-awareness and responsibility for his mental illness. He has been under a microscope like none of us have ever been.”
Hinckley, 67, used his time in recovery to sharpen his musical skills. He wrote on Twitter in April that he will perform a sold-out concert in Brooklyn on July 8. He has posted music videos on YouTube for songs he recorded including “You And I Are Free” and “Places I Have Been.”
President Ronald Reagan is shot and wounded in 1981
Reagan survived the March 30, 1981 assassination attempt outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., as he walked to a waiting automobile. His press secretary James Brady was left partially paralyzed by a bullet that hit him in his head during the attack. He and his wife Sarah went on to champion gun safety measures in the nation’s capital.
A Secret Service agent and Washington, D.C., police officer were also wounded during Hinckley’s attempt to kill the 40th president, who suffered no permanent damage from the chest wound caused by a slug from Hinckley’s .22 caliber handgun. Reagan underwent nearly three hours of emergency surgery en route to his recovery. He remained in office until 1989 and died in 2004.
Hinckley, 25 at the time, had been living in Colorado. He reportedly purchased his firearm for $25 in a Dallas pawnshop. An FBI spokesman said there’d been “no problem” with regards to Hinckley’s level of coherence when he was questioned.
Shortly before his shooting spree, Hinckley penned a letter to movie star Jodie Foster saying he planned to shoot the president to win her affection.
“This letter is being written only an hour before I leave for the Hilton Hotel,” Hinckley wrote. “Jodie, I’m asking you to please look into your heart and at least give the chance, with this historical deed, to gain your love and respect.”
After Wednesday’s hearing, Hinckley’s lawyer, Barry Levine, said the case had “started with a troubled young man who inflicted great harm” but ended up as having “salvaged a life.”
“John worked hard. He wanted to correct something that he was unable to erase, and this is the best outcome that one could imagine,” Levine said. “His regrets will always be with him with respect to the families of those he injured.”
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With News Wire Services
