A court had recently ruled that after decades of care and psychological monitoring, he no longer posed a threat to society and that he could be released from any judicial review on June 15.
“After 41 years, 2 months and 15 days, FINALLY FREEDOM”, tweeted John Hinckley, who is now 67 and has converted to music.
On March 30, 1981, he shot the Republican president as he left a hotel in Washington. One of his bullets ricocheted off the armored presidential limo and hit Ronald Reagan in the chest. Three people were injured in the attack.
Obsessed with “Taxi Driver” and Jodie Foster
The young man, obsessed with Jodie Foster since the release of the film “Taxi Driver”, then declared that he wanted to impress the actress. He had been declared criminally irresponsible by the courts.
After more than 30 years of internment in a psychiatric hospital, John Hinckley was authorized in 2016 to go live with his nonagenarian mother, in a secure residential area of Williamsburg, 240 kilometers south of Washington.
The rules of his judicial control were strict: in particular, he had to report any movement (with routes taken, timetables and possible setbacks), regularly undergo medical treatment and keep a diary of his daily activities.
