Attempted Reagan Assassin John Hinckley Jr. to Be Released, Judge Rules: Arjun Singh
John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan over 41 years ago in 1981, will be fully and unconditionally released from a federal mental-health facility.
At a final hearing on the subject on Wednesday, U.S. Senior District Judge Paul Friedman, a Clinton appointee to the district court for the District of Columbia, said that Hinckley, 67, would be released from the care of Saint Elizabeths Hospital without any preconditions on June 15.
Friedman, who since 2003 has overseen periodic requests from Hinckley for privileges during his confinement, said that “if he hadn’t tried to kill a president, he would have been released unconditionally a long time ago.”
On March 30, 1981, as Reagan was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., Hinckley drew a .22 caliber revolver and fired at the president as he was entering his limousine. Four of the six explosive rounds he fired struck the president.
Wounded were D.C. police officer Tom Delahanty and U.S. Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, who placed himself in the line of fire, while Press Secretary James Brady sustained a gunshot to the head, which resulted in lifelong paralysis. The White House Press Briefing Room is named in his honor.
One of the shots hit Reagan after it ricocheted off the armored door of his limousine. The bullet struck his limb and punctured his lung. Secret Service Agent Jerry Parr, who had pushed Reagan into the limousine and noticed him coughing “red, frothy blood,” is credited with having saved Reagan’s life by diverting the limousine toward George Washington University Memorial Hospital instead of the White House.
Reagan recovered and was released from the hospital on April 11, after which he served seven more years in office.
At the time, Hinckley, then 26, said that he shot Reagan to impress the 18-year-old actress Jodie Foster, who he believed was in love with him despite their never having met. Foster had gained fame at the time for her role as child prostitute in the Martin Scorsese–directed film Taxi Driver.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and institutionalized. Ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia stated in a court filing that Hinckley “has recovered his sanity such that he does not present a danger to himself or others because of mental illness if unconditionally released.” The filing reversed the government’s previous position under the Trump Administration, that Hinckley should not be released. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacie Weston wrote that there was “no evidence” to support release conditions on Hinckley.
Since April 10, 2016, Hinckley has lived at his mother’s home in Williamsburg, Virginia, but with preconditions. These have included allowing officials access to his email, mobile phone, and social media accounts as well as a ban on proximity to Secret Service protectees. Under Judge Friedman’s order, these will be lifted, making Hinckley a full private citizen.
At present, Hinckley runs a YouTube channel where he uploads videos of himself singing and playing the guitar. In a video, he announced the founding of ‘Emporia Records,’ a label for his music, and plans release a 14-track album. He is also reportedly planning a music tour, the ‘John Hinckley Redemption Tour,’ in July.
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