After John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot Ronald Reagan and three others, was allowed to move in with his mom in 2016, one nagging question that many had was: Is he really “better”? A federal… US News Summaries.
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After John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot Ronald Reagan and three others, was allowed to move in with his mom in 2016, one nagging question that many had was: Is he really “better”? A federal judge seems to think he’s well enough to finally be granted even more freedom, ruling on Friday that the 63-year-old can now move out on his own, within certain parameters, the AP reports. US District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman says Hinckley can get a place of his own if it’s within 75 miles of Williamsburg, Va., where his mother lives, and if his doctors approve of the location. He also can’t have a gun, can’t drink or use drugs, and has to carry a cellphone with the GPS turned on when he’s not at home ( USA Today notes he won’t have to have a tracking device on his car, however.)
Also mandated: He can’t make contact with his victims or their families or go anywhere near where past or current US presidents, VPs, or members of Congress are located. The internet is allowed, though he can’t use social media or do searches for himself. And, of course, he still has to meet regularly with a social worker, therapist, or psychologist. “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,” Friedman noted in his decision. Hinckley’s longtime attorney hopes this is just the next step to complete freedom for his client: He hopes to eventually ask for unconditional release. “It would be the complete restoration to life as you and I know it,” Barry Levine said Friday, per the AP. (Meanwhile, John Lennon’s killer recently revealed he intentionally chose a specific type of bullet.)
