John Hinckley, who shot President Reagan, to be freed after 35 years

A judge ruled Wednesday that John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan 35 years ago, will be allowed to leave the mental hospital where he has resided for decades and instead live with his mother in Virginia as soon as next week, the Associated Press reported.

“The government and the hospital both agree that Mr. Hinckley’s primary diagnoses of psychotic disorder not otherwise specified and major depression have been in full and sustained remission for well over 20 years, perhaps more than 27 years,” Judge Paul L. Friedman for the U.S. District Court in Washington wrote in his opinion, which was obtained by the Washington Post.

The judge also noted that the government and independent experts, in addition to Hinckley’s health providers, “now agree – unanimously – that Mr. Hinckley is clinically ready for full-time convalescent leave and that, with certain conditions, he will not be a danger to himself or others.”

Hinckley shot and wounded Reagan, then-White House press secretary James Brady and two others on March 30, 1981 outside the Washington Hilton. He was found not guilty by reason of mental insanity and committed to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, where he has lived for over three decades.

The shooting put the president’s life in danger, but he recovered after surgery. Reagan died in 2004. Brady suffered permanent brain damage and paralysis after Hinckley shot him in the head. Brady’s death in 2014 was ruled a homicide by police, but prosecutors said last year they would not charge Hinckley.

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Hinckley has gradually received permission to leave the hospital for periods of time over the years. He was allowed to leave for day visits with his parents beginning in 2003.

“Since 2006, Mr. Hinckley has successfully completed 80 unsupervised visits with his family in Williamsburg, Virginia, fully complying with the court’s strict conditions, with two minor exceptions,” Friedman wrote in his opinion.

According to the ruling, Hinckley will be allowed to live with his 90-year-old mother at her home in Williamsburg, Virginia. He also will have to comply with several requirements, including therapy, volunteer or paid work and checking in with his doctors once a month.

He is prohibited from speaking to the media, relatives of Reagan and Brady or the other victims and actress Jodie Foster, with whom he reportedly had an obsession.