John Hinckley Jr: President Ronald Reagan’s would-be assassin fully released 41 years after shooting | US News
The conspirator to assassinate Ronald Reagan was fully released 41 years after the shooting.
John Hinckley Jr, now 67, fatally stabbed the US President in an attack in 1981.
He spent decades in a mental health unit in Washington and was acquitted of insanity at a 1982 trial.
President Ronald Reagan was pushed into his limousine after being shot by Hinckley. Photo: AP
Now, he has been released from court supervision, officially ending the continued supervision of mental health and legal professionals, after doctors who examined Hinckley said the risk was at risk. His violent crime was far-fetched and federal prosecutors agreed.
Hinckley Jr posted on Twitter: “After 41 years, 2 months and 15 days, finally free!”
The restrictions are expected to be lifted from last September.
US District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman previously said Hinckley Jr. would be released on June 15 if he remains mentally stable in the community in Virginia, where he has lived since 2016. .
Restrictions including restrictions on social media have been gradually eased, with Hinckley Jr now having more than 28,000 followers on Twitter.
During a hearing on June 1, Judge Friedman said Hinckley had not shown signs of active mental illness since the mid-1980s – and had not engaged in violent behavior or interest in weapons.
“I am confident that Mr. Hinckley will do well in the remaining years of his life,” the judge said.
Referring to the battle between attorneys representing the US government and Hinckley over how much freedom he should be granted, Judge Friedman said there was now a consensus.
“It took us a long time to get here,” he said.
“It’s time for John Hinckley to move on with his life, so we will.”
Hinckley Jr has become a household name after targeting the 40th president of the United States and three others outside a Washington hotel.
Mr. Reagan quickly recovered from surgery to puncture his lung.
However, his press secretary Jim Brady was left permanently disabled after the first of six bullets Hinckley fired hit his head, rupturing the brain cavity.
An artist impression of Hinckley Jr and his parents in court in 2004. Photo: AP
Reagan biographer HW Brands said: “If Hinckley succeeds in killing Reagan, he will be an important historical figure.
“Yes, he is a lost soul that history has forgotten.”
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President Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, opposed Hinckley’s release, claiming he was a narcissist who she did not believe felt remorse.
