WASHINGTON – John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot and nearly killed President Ronald Reagan in 1981, will be unconditionally released from psychiatric supervision on June 15 after federal prosecutors, mental health professionals and Hinckley’s legal team they told a judge on Wednesday that they had no worries about his mental state.
Hinckley, now 67, shot Reagan as the president left a hotel in Washington on March 30, 1981, piercing his lungs and causing severe internal bleeding. Three others were also injured. Hinckley was acquitted of insanity in 1982 and remained in hospital until 2006. He was allowed to live with his mother in 2016.
Hinckley suffered from severe psychosis when he shot the president and developed a mania for actress Jody Foster, believing the attack would impress her.
In September 2021, the court approved an agreement between prosecutors and Hinckley’s lawyer that would allow his release in June if he met certain conditions. A U.S. District Court judge for the District of Columbia held a hearing Wednesday to ensure the agreement remains intact.
Chaos surrounds gunfire immediately after assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 by John Hinckley Jr. in front of the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC Getty Images
In a report on the state of the court last month, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office wrote that Hinckley “has regained his sanity so that he does not endanger himself or others due to mental illness if he is released unconditionally on June 15, 2022.” “
Hinckley’s lawyer, Barry Levin, told the court on Wednesday that the agreement to release his client was “the culmination of decades of work” after medical experts reached a “unanimous” decision on his mental fitness.
Hinckley wants to be able to “undo” his actions, the lawyer said, and apologized to Reagan’s family. Hinckley himself is not in court.
Prosecutors said they wished Hinckley “the best” and said his success was proof of the value of proper mental health care.
Judge Paul Friedman reminded the court that they were present because Hinckley tried to kill Reagan, adding that the president “was very close to death”. The judge discussed the long history of the case and said the decision was not an easy one.
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