John Hinckley Jr., the would-be assassin of President Ronald Reagan, will be released for good from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
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In July, a federal judge chose to grant Hinckley, 61, “full-time convalescent leave” from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.
Three others, including Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, were shot in Hinckley’s spree.
It became known that Hinckley’s motive for the alleged shooting stemmed from unhealthy obsession with Jodie Foster and Taxi Driver, the 1976 film she starred in where Robert De Niro’s character plots to assassinate a presidential candidate.
All four survived, though Brady was confined to a wheelchair until his death in 2014, which was later declared a homicide.
Local media, including The Washington Post, reported that Hinckley was officially released from St. Elizabeth’s on Saturday, the date he was scheduled to be freed.
President Reagan was shot outside a Washington hotel in March 1981 just weeks into his term at the White House in an attack that shocked the world.
Secret Service agents and police officers swarm John Hinckley, obscured from view, after he attempted an assassination on President Ronald Reagan.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, prompting outrage and leading to changes in the legal requirements for insanity defenses.
Hinckley will also be required to work or volunteer at least three days a week. “After a year on convalescent leave, following the comprehensive risk assessment conducted by the Hospital, Mr. Hinckley may reside in a separate residence, either alone or with roommates, or in a group home within a 30-mile radius of Williamsburg”, if all the members of his treatment team agree.
Hinckley’s lawyer, Barry Levine, says his client will be a “citizen about whom we can all be proud”.
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Hinckley must also stay away from the two victims who are still living, as well as the families of all his victims.
