John Hinckley Jr., 66, was granted “unconditional release” from supervision today, though it won’t begin until June 2022. Hinckley tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton hotel on March 30, 1981. He shot the president in the lung and wounded three other people.
Hinckley was institutionalized for 35 years following the attack, not having been found guilty due to insanity. For several years, he was able to spend weeks on supervised release at his mother’s home in Williamsburg, Virginia, and then was released in 2016. He also started a YouTube channel to share his music.
The terms of his 2016 release included psychiatric medication and therapy, and no contact with Reagan’s children, the victims, or their families. He also can’t own a gun.
Barry Levine, Hinckley’s attorney, filed for unconditional release in April. He cited a risk assessment that found Hinckley “to be mentally stable and at low risk for another psychotic episode,” according to the Associated Press.
