President Reagan’s would-be assassin, John W. Hinckley Jr., will be released after spending more than 35 years in a government psychiatric hospital, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
According to Judge Paul L. Friedman, Hinckley no longer poses a threat to himself or others.
Hinckley will be temporarily treated and monitored at his mother’s home in Williamsburg, Va. If he complies, the remaining restrictions on his freedom could be phased out in 12 to 18 months.
Hinckley shot four people on March 30, 1981. In addition to wounding president Reagan, he also severely wounded president Reagan’s press secretary James Brady, U.S. Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty.
Hinckley’s attorney says that, “Mr. Hinckley recognizes that what he did was horrific. But it’s crucial to understand that what he did was not an act of evil. It was an act caused by mental illness.”
The court order could be in effect as soon as August 5.
