June 1 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Wednesday granted John Hinckley, the man who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan and three others in a 1981 assassination attempt, the unconditional release of restrictions which was still facing, US media reported.
During a hearing in Washington, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman lifted travel and Internet restrictions on Hinckley, who has been living alone in Williamsburg, Virginia, Fox News reported. Friedman’s order will take effect on June 15, he said.
During a hearing in September, Friedman said he would grant Hinckley unconditional release, but gave prosecutors more time to control Hinckley as he went on to live alone after his mother’s death.
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Friedman at the time said Hinckley’s mental health problems were “in remission” and posed no more danger.
In 2016, Hinckley was discharged from a psychiatric hospital where he was treated for depression and psychosis and was allowed to move to a closed community in Williamsburg to care for his elderly mother, who died in August 2021.
Since leaving the hospital, Hinckley has met court-ordered conditions and has remained mentally stable and asymptomatic, according to court documents.
“Hinckley has not made any verbal threats and has not shown any conduct that is indicative of harm to himself, others, or the property of others. He has not shown any disruptive or problematic behavior,” federal prosecutors wrote in court in support. of his release.
In September, Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post opposing Hinckley’s release, saying she did not believe she felt remorse.
On March 30, 1981, Hinckley shot Reagan in an assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Reagan was stabbed in the lungs but recovered.
Other injured include White House Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington Police Officer Thomas Delahanty.
Hinckley was found not guilty of insanity in a 1982 jury trial.
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Report by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Nick Macfie and Will Dunham
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