John Hinckley, the man who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan in 1981, can move out of his mother’s house and live independently or with roommates or a family member, according to a court ruling issued Friday.
Hinckley, 63, has been living with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, since being released from St. Elizabeth’s psychiatric hospital in Washington, DC, in September 2016.
The 14-page ruling by US District Judge Paul L. Friedman has many stipulations.
John Hinckley, the man who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan in 1981, can move out of his mother’s house and live independently or with roommates or a family member, according to a court ruling issued Friday.
Hinckley must live with a 75-mile radius of Williamsburg and maintain bimonthly contact with his doctors while continuing group and individual therapy sessions, including music therapy. He and members of his family are prohibited from talking to the media, according to the court document.
He can drive within a 75-mile mile radius of Williamsburg. No tracking device will be installed on the vehicles, but he must carry a GPS-enabled cell phone when he’s away from his residence, the court order said.
Hinckley can use the Internet but cannot seek information abouy himself, his crimes or his victims, the court order said. He cannot set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter or other social media platforms and he must provide authorities with his user names and passwords.
“This court finds that Mr. Hinckley will not pose a danger to himself or others if he is permitted to continue residing full-time in Williamsburg, Virginia, on convalescent leave under the proposed conditions,” the order said, adding Hinckley has remained mentally stable.
The court order says Hinckley must work or perform volunteer work three days a week; a CNN story from 2016 reported that he was having trouble finding jobs. He cannot consume alcohol or own a weapon.
CNN has reached out to an attorney for Hinckley.
Hinckley was 25 years old on March 30, 1981, when he stood outside a Washington hotel and shot President Reagan, a Secret Service agent, a police officer and White House press secretary James Brady.
The motive, authorities said, was to impress actress Jodie Foster — one of the people Hinckley is prohibited from contacting.
In June 1982, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington.
In 2003, he was allowed day visits with his family, and in following years was granted longer breaks away from the hospital to stay with his mother, Jo Ann Hinckley, in Williamsburg.
Brady died in August 2014 at age 73. A medical examiner ruled his death was a homicide, but the US Attorney for the District of Columbia decided not to pursue murder charges against Hinckley.
