The man who shot President Ronald Reagan and his Press Secretary and Centralia native James Brady in 1981 is saying thank you to the people who helped him win freedom from court oversight.
A U.S. District Court judge had freed John Hinckley Jr. in September from all remaining restrictions but said his order wouldn’t take effect until this month.
Wednesday’s final hearing was scheduled to ensure Hinckley was continuing to do well in the community in Virginia where he has lived since 2016. The judge made no changes to his plans to give Hinckley full freedom from court oversight which will occur on June 15th.
Hinckley was not at the hearing but wrote a brief thank you on Twitter. The 67-year-old Hinckley sings and plays guitar and plans to perform in New York City in July. Hinckley says “it’s time to rock and roll.”
Attorneys for the U.S. government earlier indicated that they would not oppose a plan to lift all remaining restrictions because Hinckley remains mentally stable.
Hinckley had been committed to a Washington, DC mental hospital for more than 20 years after being found by a jury to be not guilty by reason of insanity. He slowly began living in the community for a longer period of time in 2003 with requirements for therapy and restrictions on his travel.
Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty were also shot in the assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Brady was shot in the head and left partially paralyzed. He died in 2014 at the age of 73.
This story contains information provided by the Associated Press.
