USA TODAY International Edition
Federal judge lets man who shot Reagan live by himself
A federal judge has eased the release terms for John W. Hinckley, Jr., the would-be assassin of President Ronald Reagan, permitting him to live on his own or with roommates under tight travel restrictions in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Hinckley has been living at his mother’s home in Williamsburg since his conditional release from St. Eliza- beth’s hospital in 2016.
The consent order by
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman on Friday came during a routine update on Hinckley’s mental health progress.
Friedman, citing findings of experts and his doctors’ reports, said Hinckley, 63, “has been compliant with all the conditions of his release and has remained mentally stable.”
Hinckley was 25 when he wounded Reagan, White House press secretary James Brady, U.S. Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty with six shots from a .22-caliber pistol outside a Washington, D.C., hotel.
A jury in 1982 found him not guilty of the assassination because he was deemed legally insane. He was committed to a hospital for the mentally ill.
Authorities said at the time that he had attacked the president in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster.
The latest consent order will allow Hinckley to live on his own. He is required to perform volunteer or paid work at least three days a week, and to keep a daily log of his activities.
Hinckley is restricted to a 75-mile radius of Williamsburg and can travel unaccompanied, but will not be required to have a tracking device on his car. The order, however, does require him to carry a GPS-enabled cellphone whenever he is away from home.