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John Hinckley Jr. freed from court oversight after decades

John Hinckley
Posted at 1:37 PM, Jun 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-15 16:37:00-04

John Hinckley Jr. has been freed from court oversight. The development on Wednesday ended decades of supervision by legal and mental health professionals after Hinckley shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman had announced Hinckley's pending released earlier this month, saying that he had shown no signs of active mental illness since the mid-1980s and had not exhibited any violent behavior or interest in weapons. Hinckley has lived in a community in Virginia since 2016.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman noted on June 1 that Hinckley, who had turned 67, was profoundly troubled when he shot Reagan but that he had been able to get mental health help. The judge said in September that he would free Hinckley from all remaining restrictions on June 15 as long as Hinckley continued to do well.

Hinckley had been in a mental hospital for more than two decades after he was found not guilty of shooting Reagan, by reason of insanity.

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