John Hinckley, who shot Ronald Reagan, wins unconditional release
- John Hinckley tried to assassinate then-US president Ronald Reagan 40 years ago
- Hinckley wanted to impress actress Jodie Foster, who he was obsessed with
A US judge said he would grant “unconditional release” to John Hinckley, who wounded former US president Ronald Reagan and three other people in a 1981 assassination attempt.
“I am going to, after all these years, grant unconditional release to Mr Hinckley,” US District Judge Paul Friedman said during a court hearing in the District of Columbia on Monday.
In 2016, Friedman allowed Hinckley to move out of a Washington psychiatric hospital, where he had lived for three decades, but imposed restrictions on his travel and internet usage.
Friedman said during Monday’s hearing that he planned to lift those remaining restrictions. Hinckley’s mental health problems are “in remission” and he no longer poses a danger, Friedman said.
Friedman said he would issue a written order later this week memorialising his decision.
A federal prosecutor, Kacie Weston, said during the court hearing that the US Justice Department agreed Hinckley should be given unconditional release. But Weston argued the restrictions should not be formally lifted until June 2022 so that prosecutors can continue to monitor Hinckley as he transitions to living on his own following the death of his mother.