WASHINGTON: For the past decade, the man who shot President Ronald Reagan has quietly spent a growing number of his days living with his 90-year-old mother in a gated community in Williamsburg, Va. On Wednesday, a judge finalized John Hinckley Jr.’s transition to freedom, ordering that Hinckley can permanently leave the psychiatric hospital where he was confined after the assassination attempt.
The order, which cannot be appealed, has been in the works for years, despite opposition by prosecutors, who sought numerous restrictions on Hinckley’s freedom, most of which were agreed to by Judge Paul Friedman. Hinckley could leave St. Elizabeths Hospital as early as Aug. 5.
Hinckley, now 61, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the March 30, 1981, shooting fueled by his obsession with the movie Taxi Driver and its teenage star, Jodie Foster. He used a pawn-shop revolver to fire six shots at Reagan, the president’s aides and his protective detail outside a Washington hotel, wounding the president and three others.
Doctors have said for many years that Hinckley’s mental illness was in remission, and Friedman concurred in his ruling. Hinckley, the judge wrote, has not exhibited symptoms of major depression or a psychotic disorder for more than 27 years.
Hinckley was first allowed to leave St. Elizabeths in 2003 to visit his parents in Washington, and he began staying with them at their Williamsburg home in 2006. For the past two years, he has been allowed to spend 17 days a month with his mother.
Many of the restrictions attached to Hinckley’s temporary release will remain in place. He must attend therapy sessions and must return to Washington once a month so doctors can check on his mental state.
Hinckley’s longtime attorney, Barry Levine, said he and his client were gratified by the order.
“Mr. Hinckley recognizes that what he did was horrific. But it’s crucial to understand that what he did was not an act of evil,” Levine said in a statement. “It was an act caused by mental illness, an illness from which he no longer suffers.”
Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, suffered debilitating injuries in the attack and died in 2014. Also wounded were police officer Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy.
Hinckley will be barred from trying to contact Foster, Delahanty, McCarthy or any of his victim’s families.
Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis criticized the decision. She said she believes in forgiveness, but forgiving someone doesn’t mean letting them “loose in Virginia to pursue whatever dark agendas they may still hold dear.”
Spriggs said he believes Hinckley should remain under close scrutiny in a mental institution.
McCarthy said he’s never been asked for his opinion on releasing Hinckley.