A federal judge is set to preside over an important hearing for John Hinckley, the man who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and is on the verge of being released from all remaining restrictive conditions.
Those include: allowing officials access to his electronic devices, email and online accounts; being barred from traveling to places where he knows there will be someone protected by the Secret Service, and giving three days’ notice if he wants to travel more than 75 miles from his home in Virginia.
The judge has said that Hinckley, who turned 67 Sunday, has displayed no symptoms of active mental illness, no violent behavior and no interest in weapons since 1983. Prosecutors had previously opposed ending restrictions, but they changed their position last year, saying they would agree to Hinckley's release from conditions if he continued to show mental stability and follow restrictions. Prosecutor Kacie Weston wrote in a court filing ahead of the hearing that"the Government has found no evidence to suggest that Mr. Hinckley’s unconditional release should not be granted" as the judge previously said he would.
In the 2000s, Hinckley began, with the judge's approval, making visits to his parents’ home in Williamsburg, Virginia. His father died in 2008, but in 2016 he was given permission to live with his mother full time. Still, he was required to attend individual and group therapy sessions, was barred from talking to the media and could only travel within a limited area. Secret Service would also periodically follow him.