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Subscribe to RSSJohn Hinckley, the man who tried to assassinate President Reagan in 1981, asked to spend more time outside the Washington mental hospital where he's been treated for three decades. But prosecutors strongly object to his request. NBC's Pete Williams has more.
WASHINGTON -- Urging a judge not to loosen restrictions on out-of-hospital visits by John Hinckley, who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Justice Department lawyers on Wednesday said Hinckley browsed through books about Reagan and presidential assassins at a Virginia bookstore in July.
Hinckley visited a Barnes and Noble store in Williamsburg, Virginia, where his mother lives, but later told his doctors that he went to see a movie, "Captain America," federal prosecutor Sarah Chasson said at the beginning of a court hearing on Hinckley's request to be allowed longer unsupervised visits to Williamsburg, his mother's hometown.
"He has a long history of deceptive and secretive behavior," Chasson said. Secret Service agents watched him browse through the books, she told the court.
Two years ago, a federal judge allowed Hinckley to make 12 visits to his mother's home, each lasting nine nights. Having completed that series of trips, both Hinckley and doctors at a Washington mental hospital are proposing more visits of longer duration.
Such a plan would eventually lead to "the goal of fully transitioning Mr. Hinckley there," said his lawyer, Barry Levine of Washington, DC.
"Lack of candor about attending a movie does not make him dangerous," Levine told federal judge Paul Friedman on Wednesday.
Dr. Tyler Jones, the director of psychiatry at St. Elizabeths Hospital, testified that in July when Hinckley went to the bookstore instead of going to see the movie, he stopped in front of a shelf of books about the McKinley assassination, the Reagan assassination attempt, Reagan speeches and John F. Kennedy.
Jones testified on cross examination from prosecutors that Hinckley looked at but "did not pick up or read" the books about Reagan or presidential assassins. Jones also testified that Hinckley initially lied about seeing the movie.
But he said that when Hinckley's medical treatment team received a Secret Service monitoring report about the incident, they confronted Hinckley about his deception.
Jones testified that Hinckley told the team he "understood that it was a big deal" but asked the team to "cut him some slack."
As a result of Hinckley's deception, his medical team reduced the time he can spend with his mother in Williamsburg for Christmas and he will lose some unaccompanied time there as well.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity for attempting to assassinate President Reagan outside a Washington hotel in 1981. Since then, he's been a patient at St. Elizabeths Hospital. At the urging of his doctors, Friedman granted Hinckley permission, beginning in 2003, to leave the hospital grounds for short visits. The judge has gradually approved longer visits with less supervision from Hinckley's doctors.
The hospital is now seeking permission for him to make two 17-day visits to his mother's home and six more visits of 24 days each. If those are successful, the hospital wants the discretion to place him there on convalescent leave permanently.
Hinckley has been volunteering at a mental health hospital in Williamsburg and has obtained a driver's license, though he is under court orders to have a responsible custodian with him while driving.
The Justice Department strongly opposes the request for expanded visits, arguing that his treatment record reveals behavior patterns "that universally have been recognized as risk factors for Hinckley's future violence."
Government lawyers say he has been deceptive with his doctors, not only about his visit to the bookstore but also about his interest in women. He searched the Internet for pictures of his female dentist but falsely claimed she wanted him to see her photos, the Justice Department says, and gave conflicting responses about whether he wanted to marry his current girlfriend.
John Hinckley Jr. in 2003.
While the visits to Williamsburg were intended to aid in his therapy and allow him to gradually adjust to society, "After three years of regular visits to his mother's hometown, Hinckley has failed to show that he has integrated into the community or that he has taken the initiative necessary to complete the task," the Justice Department says.
But, says Hinckley's lawyer, he has completed every one of his court-approved visits "without any adverse occurrence or risk of danger" and is entitled to pursue his "constitutionally guaranteed rights to treatment and to be held in the least restrictive environment consistent with safety."
Hinckley, who is 56, is attending the federal court hearing. His mother was expected to attend later during the proceedings. Hinckley's father died in 2008.
Pete Williams is NBC News’ justice correspondent. Joel Seidman is an NBC News producer.
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crazy,just crazy
Keep his crazy a$$ in prison.
Send this SOB to Iran to bag sand with the local sand diggers. Giving this jerk any freedom is unbelievable!
He destroyed Brady's life keep him locked up..
Okay, let him out of the hospital.
But put him in prison instead.
Ok if the judge wants to let him out then let the judge be responsible. If he does something wrong the
judge goes to jail. It's call taken responsiblity for your actions!!
Hummmmmmmmmm ....
The Secret Service has the resources to follow mental patients out for "Day Trips?" ........... LOL ...
I'm beginning to wonder who is crazy!
Wait till he finds out Mr. Obama has secretly been seeing Jodie Foster!!
@Ben...Love it......
The biggest tragedy is that a $.25 piece of metal could have prevented this problem years and years ago.
"He has a long history of deceptive and secretive behavior," Chasson said. Secret Service agents watched him browse through the books, she told the court.
So the Federal Government sent agents to spy and use deceptive and secretive behavior in observing him? Pot, meet kettle.
One difference is that the federal agents are not trying to murder people.
Ummm...that's what the Secret Service is paid to do.
Well Crying shame, the Secret Service is charged with protecting the POTUS whoever he may be. Hinkley tried to kill one president, and as long as he is decptive and lies about his actions, I think he should be watched at all times least he make a second attempt. If he is sane enough to be set free from the mental instution, then put him on trial for attempted murder.
Hmmm my conclusion above about the Secret Service needing watch those who may have been known to feel hostile toward the POTUS and be known to be deceptive and lie, expands their role to cover 24X7 every elected offical in DC plus about a half of all US citizens.
Amazing:)
The rights of a would be president killer are lost when he pulled that trigger. DUH
I figured you knew this game. If he is ever found "Sane" he will do jail time for shooting the President. If he maintains that he might be a little unstable and suspicious he can come out and play for a little while.
YES ,MORE FREEDOM
is there no judicial system out there?!!! keep the murderer for the rest of his pathetic life!!!
Shelly - what world do you live in? He didn't murder anyone. He attempted to assassinate President Regan.
He should remain locked up. His mental state is questionable - to say the least.
Please just put him in a hole so no one else gets shot or loses loved ones. This guy WILL try it again!
.
Good Lord! Hinckley has more freedom than most Americans. Are they trying to encourage people to commit murder now?
The right to treatment and lack of restrictions for assassins? I must have missed that clause in the Constitution.
An "assassin" is someone that gets paid and/or is sent by someone else to kill someone. I wish you and the rest of the know-nothings would be required to know what you were talking about before you were allowed to blather on and on like an idiot...
Uh, not sure what your point is, but since you're throwing stones, assassin is defined as: "a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons".
Nice blathering though...
neocommie, YOU might want to look up the definition of assassin. Like most commies, you have your facts messed up and blather on and on!
I love it. oh sorry just Blathering
I wonder how much taxpayers money he could have saved IF he had killed Reagan? Would Bush Sr. have run up the deficit any faster?
Wow, a communist with head lodged firmly in bum. And usually you folks are so witty and well spoken.
Like all leftists, words mean whatever you want them to mean and anyone that challenges your myopic self serving understanding of the world around you or in any way supports anyone or anything you view as "the man" is suspect. How about you go crawl under your rock and leave us adults to have a discussion about why an attempted ASSASSIN is even being considered for any form of compassionate release. No matter what his mental status is he attempted to assassinate a sitting US President and permanantly maimed someone else. He deserves a life sentence, either in a hospital or a jail cell.
Can you imagine if these idiots let this wacko out and he takes another shot at another President or someone else famous? This is why we need the death penalty. Some bleeding heart will let these morons out. What happens when psycho mommy dies, who will tend to little Johnny then?
I doubt that will happen Soupy. He tried to kill Reagan because he wanted Jodi Foster to notice him.
Don't ask me to defend his action, it is not reasonable behavior.
Not a fan of Reagan but he did not deserve to be assasinated.
But what woman's attention might he go after next? If he showed obsessive tendencies before, he probably still has them.
Can't they put an ankle monitor on him like they do for sex offenders and people under house arrest?
It all makes perfect sense, John visiting his Mother, until the day arrives when he turns up missing.
I've got a 30 lb. ankle monitor he can wear. Oh, and he can go out on my boat with me, too.
C'mon, Johnny. I'd love to have you.
It's amazing to me that he gets any freedoms what so ever.
the dude served 30 years for attempted murder - and he was never convicted of the crime. If his docs think he is OK to leave the hospital extended visits - who are we to question? It seems to me like the Feds are just trying to be punative.
Nice yellow, when it's your love one's he kills I hope you feel the same way!!!!!
Yellow - he was never convicted of the crime? It was broadcast on national television. He wasn't officially tried because of his mental state. Don't think there's any doubt he pulled the trigger!
You take him into your home Yellow_hat, and you be responsible for his actions there-after....bet you'd NOT accept that.
WOW!! What is wrong with our country? This nut should never be free.
Lock him up and throw away the jail.
And let us not forget he did what he did for love of Jodie Foster. Who is still very much alive - think how she must feel about all of this..........
Regan was not the great man that the lemmings believe him to be, HOWEVER, this nut belongs behind bars - PERIOD!
Where would he be if he'd shot a Democrat?
Idolized by the Tea Party and with his own show on Fox News.
Oh for goodness sake just cut him loose.What, he shoots politicians?Big deal.
Considering attempted murder would normally carry a 10 to 15 year sentence,he's served twice the normal sentence.already
He shot the president,a secret service agent,a police officer and the press secretary. So no, he would be locked up for life on those charges.
he is locked up in a psychiatric hospital. he is not doing general population prison time.
Well if he is sane enough to go home he is sane enough to stand for the charges against him! He was never sentenced because they said he was insane, so now that his doctors think he is sane enough let him answer for the crimes that were committed Sounds resonable to me
JimOB: That was 30 years ago. It's about your mental condition at the time, not now. Your comment is not only unreasonable, but illogical.
Actually, having never been charged with the crime whcih is the attempted assassination of a sitting President not simple attempted murder he can still be charged at any point. he has been in a mental ward because he is a danger to himself and others not for the crime he commited.
There are people in jail for that amount of time just for having a joint on them and they don't get to leave and visit mommy. The guy shot a president for fu#$ sake. If he is well enough to get out of the nuthouse, then send him to prison to serve out his life.
I have never ever heard of someone getting 30 years for having one joint. Maybe they were found with a joint after killing a couple people or committing a couple other felonies...
Never heard of a three strikes law Denton? There is a guy in California who had two convictions in his youth for petty crimes and than became homeless in his later life and stole a slice of pizza at 53. Due to three strikes he recieved a sentence of life inprisonment. Just because you are ignorant of the depravity of the law does not mean it does not exist. Get mad about that instead of getting up on your high horse and talking down to people with a firmer grasp of reality than you.
Let him out but restrict his movements and monitor him greatly.
Keep him caged.....Crazy or not he needs to be locked down permanently. His crimes are to heinous.
If he's well enough to go to book stores he should now stand trial for his crimes. This will end badly.
That was 30 years ago. It's about your mental condition at the time, not now.
Many people choose to ignore a very important fact: He was severely mentally ill at the time. He could not and did not control his actions. That's why we have an exception in our law for the insane. They can't be held responsible for not thinking clearly, anymore than a paralyzed person should be held responsible for not being able to walk.
I don't know enough to say if he's ok or not now, but I do know his mental condition was not fit to stand trial then.
Show us an example of any person whom was mentally ill to the point of doing things and not being responsible for those actions and then somehow recovers their mental capacity later. Insanity does not have a cure. If John is now sane, John was faking.
Reagan has already died, so are we at risk he will choose our current Prez.