Alan Sawyer
John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan to impress Jodi Foster in 1981, was granted a full release from court restrictions on Wednesday.
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The would-be hitman announced on his social media with a simple post declaring his day has come.
“After 41 years 2 months and 15 days, FREEDOM AT LAST!!!” Hinckley tweeted.
Hinckley was just 25 at the time of his attempt to murder the President. He came from a wealthy oil family but was known to have mental troubles and had already undergone psychiatric treatment.
In the aftermath of the incident Hinckley admitted that he became obsessed with the film Taxi Driver, and the aforementioned Foster. Hinckley said that he tried to kill President Reagan to impress her.
Hinckley is now 67 and spent more than three decades inside St. Elizabeths hospital in Washington. He was acquitted from the charges due to mental insanity but it did not allow him to go without confinement.
Beginning in 2003, the conditions of his restrictions have been gradually decreased as he has been re-introduced into the public life. So much so that he recently announced he was launching a music career.
So you can read that in its full glory: John Hinckley Jr. is launching a musical career by releasing several singles announcing an album, Redemption Tour.
“A big thank you to everyone who helped me get my unconditional release,” he wrote on social media. “What a long strange trip it has been. Now it’s time to rock and roll.”
He recently had one of his previously sold out shows get canceled after the organizer had received several threats.
“We do believe that ex-cons and people with mental illness can recover, and that we should want them to maintain hope that they can better themselves and earn a chance to rejoin society… but we are living in dangerous times,” Market Hotel wrote in an Instagram post.
Hinckley lives in the Williamsburg, Va. area full time and has since 2016.
Not sure I’d be feeling very safe at one of his concerts?? My trust for a lot of things has diminished.