A judge ruled that Mr Hinckley, now 61, could reside full-time there on “convalescent leave” from 5 August. He shopped for himself at Target and JC Penny, volunteered at a local mental hospital, made the required visits with therapists, and would often treat his mother to meals at Ruby Tuesday.
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Hinckley was 25 when he opened fire outside of the Washington Hilton, hitting Reagan in the chest, a moment captured by news crews.
Reagan died in 2004 at the age of 93. Reagan’s press secretary James Brady received a critical wound to the head and was left partially paralyzed.
Brady was paralysed as a result of the wounds and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair until he died in 2014.
Reagan was shot during the March 30, 1981 assassination attempt in Washington, D.C. and underwent immediate surgery. “If John Hinckley is haunted by anything, I think it’s that he didn’t succeed in his mission to assassinate the President”. But the following year, a court found him not guilty by reason of insanity.
Experts who testified at the hearing all agreed that Hinckley’s depression and psychotic disorder are “in full and sustained remission and have been for more than 20 years”, Fox News reports.
In his order, the judge said if Hinckley’s relatives “are unable to travel to Williamsburg or remain in Williamsburg with Mr. Hinckley, Mr. Hinckley shall be returned to inpatient status at the hospital”.
In 2006, Hinckley began visiting his parents’ home in Williamsburg, Virginia, for three-night stretches.
Over the years, the court has loosened restrictions on him, and has allowed him to spend consecutive days at his mother’s residence in a gated community south of D.C. Sometimes shadowed by the Secret Service, Hinckley has gone shopping and to the movies.
John Hinckley Jr.is shown in a Sept.16, 1982 file photo. His hobbies include painting, guitar and photography.
“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.
Some of his mother’s neighbors in Williamsburg have always been wary of Hinckley. He has sought out work and volunteer opportunities, but so far has been unable to secure employment.
“I don’t like flipping around the TV, I want to do things”, a court document quoted him saying.
“There is nothing stopping any unsafe person from going to a gun show or online to buy any gun he wants and then committing the next act of political terror”, Gross said.
The judge ruled Wednesday that Hinckley is no longer a danger.
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The release of a man who attempted to kill President Ronald Reagan has people talking.
