“On the ultimate mixed question of law and fact – dangerousness – the Court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Hinckley presents no danger to himself or to others in the reasonable future if released on full time convalescent leave to Williamsburg”. He says the shooting was “caused by mental illness, an illness from which he no longer suffers”.
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Ronald Reagan moments before an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr in 1981.
Friedman said that if Hinckley violates the terms of his leave, he could be returned to the hospital. But Hinckley will have to comply with a list of conditions after his release from St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., to live with his mother, including regular individual and group therapy sessions and getting a paying or volunteer job.
Friedman’s ruling was not a surprise, especially to those who have followed the saga of Hinckley’s life and the dozens of court hearings in recent years that delved into the minutiae of his mental well-being.
Federal prosecutors acknowledged in court papers that Hinckley was “clinically ready” to live in Williamsburg, but expressed concerns that the hospital had not fully addressed several issues, including his family’s financial stability and the possibility that his mental state could rapidly decline. “If John Hinckley is haunted by anything, I think it’s that he didn’t succeed in his mission to assassinate the President”.
He wounded Reagan and shot three others, including James Brady, the White House Press Secretary who died in 2014 from complications related to the shooting.
But Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, wrote on Facebook that “forgiving someone in your heart doesn’t (mean) that you let them loose in Virginia to pursue whatever dark agendas they may still hold dear”. Hinckley’s father died in 2008. He’ll also be barred from trying to contact surviving victims and their families, along with actress Jodie Foster, whom he was trying to impress when he shot the president. He spends time painting and likes photography and also takes cares of feral cats.
Hinckley has been half-out already for the last three years, spending 17 days per month at his mother’s residence. For the most part, Hinckley has been on his best behavior while on furloughs. Mr Brady, who was left permanently disabled by his injuries, and his wife Sarah later became the country’s leading gun control advocates. Contrary to the judge’s decision, we believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others and we strongly oppose his release.
“Thousands of times every day, judges across this country attempt the hard, daunting task of predicting with confidence what a human being may do in the future.it is fair to say the lives of few people have been scrutinized with the care and detail that John Hinckley’s has”, Friedman wrote.
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CCTV America’s Jessica Stone reports.
