John Hinckley, Jr. – the man who shot President Ronald Reagan in a 1981 assassination attempt – has been released from the psychiatric hospital where he has resided since 1981.
Though Reagan survived the attack, he was seriously wounded along with several others.
A Secret Service agent and a police officer were both wounded, and press secretary James Brady was paralyzed by one of Hinckley’s bullets.
A 1994 handgun violence prevention law is commonly referred to as “the Brady Bill” in Brady’s honor.
When Brady passed away in 2014, his death was ruled a homicide.
Hinckley, who was judged not guilty by reason of insanity during his trial, has been in treatment at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. for the past 35 years.
This morning, Judge Paul Friedman ruled that Hinckley should be released, due to the fact that he no longer represents a threat.
“The court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Hinckley presents no danger to himself or to others in the reasonable future if released,” Friedman stated in court today.
Hinckley will likely be released before August 5.
He will be confined to his home for the next year, and his actions will be monitored by a court-approved psychiatrist.
If he adheres to guidelines laid out by the court, all restrictions to Hinckley’s freedom will likely be removed by the end of 2017.
The 61-year-old has been ordered not to contact any members of the Reagan family or Jodie Foster – the actress whose performance in the 1976 film Taxi Driver prompted a violent obsession in Hinckley.
Reactions to the news of the would-be assassin’s release have been mixed.
Many have applauded Friedman for his objectivity in focusing Hinckley’s progress and not the infamy of his deeds.
Others believe Hinckley should spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The 1981 verdict prompted a massive public outcry and led to several states revising their laws governing when the insanity defense could be used.