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DALLAS -- The family of the man who shot President Ronald Reagan tells NBC DFW they can no longer afford his legal bills.
On Friday John Hinckley Jr.'s lawyers filed a motion in federal court asking to withdraw from Hinckley's case. They said there were signficant outstanding legal bills from the ongoing court battle over whether Hinckley can spend more time away from the hospital he was committed to after the shooting.
Hinckley attended Highland Park High School and some of his family members still live in North Texas.
See original story, video on NBCDFW.com
On Saturday, the family told NBC 5 Investigates Reporter Scott Friedman:
"The Hinckley family would like to express their continued love and support for John. We thank Dickstein Shapiro for their many years of legal service... The past three decades have been very difficult for all who have been affected by John's illness. Regrettably, however, thirty years of legal battles have exhausted the financial resources available to pay the fees and expenses associated with John's ongoing legal proceedings. We will continue to support John in every way possible."
A federal judge is expected to rule this fall on Hinckley's request for more visitation with his mother who lives in Virginia.
Hinckley has been in a psychiatric hospital since being found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting of Reagan and three other men in 1981.
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Certainly I feel compassion for a family who now must deal with the fallout of a member's mental illness, and in this case it's the cost of legal bills. However many people face legal bills they can't afford. And medical bills they can't afford. And housing expenses they can't afford.
It's a sad fact of life that sometimes the cost of what we want to continue using/buying/subscribing to, etc. is finally beyond our financial means. Sometimes we simply spend all of our money pursuing something that will be ongoing.. when our finances will not be ongoing in a matching amount. Sorry. Don't know what to tell you.
There but for the grace of...
All of us are an event away from being bankrupted by costs for medical care, legal representation, etc. It could happen to any one of us. A visitor falls down on your property. Your child gets a chronic illness. Banking fraud devalues your savings and pension and you get laid off.
I advise this family to do what the Big Banks & Corporations do at the drop of a hat. Declare bankruptcy. Of course, unlike the banks, you won't get a bailout. But at least, you'll get a second chance to enjoy the rest of your lives.
I do, forget about thim and just throw away the key. No sense is wasting good money for a bad debt. They chose to fight this, they lost..move on - if not, don't worry about it, the Pres. will take care of you. It's called social programs which we know everyone deserves.
Dick...Try not to be one how about that?
DICK-227, if you're refuring to Social Security, you are ill informed, Social Security does'nt hand out paychecks to anyone or anybody, from your comments, it appears you're still young and most likely have'nt worked much in your life, or if you are working, your boss is paying you under the table... If ether is the case, i advise you to reverse your present sititution, while theres still time !
If John Hinckley had shot & wounded you or I, instead of Ronald Reagan, he would have been out years ago ... It's time in his case to be "Fair & Impartial" .... hes done his time ... lets move on ..
Imagine that! Lawyers jumping ship when the funds run dry. For god's sake when are our politicians going to figure out that we are broke and jump ship too. New Congress 2012! Make lobbying illegal and tell the government to mind it's own @!$%#ing business and stay out of ours.
"We don't need social engineering,
We don't need no crowd control
No dark sarcasm in the board rooms,
hey mother @!$%#ers, leave us kids alone."
Moonbeam...so right! Too bad he didn't shoot Al or Jesse.....jus sayin...
KeenInsight - Sure, there are people who run into bad luck. But not many people raise nutsack sons who try to assassinate the President to impress a movie actress, and in doing so wound two bystanders and permanently disable a third. There was no doubt about the guilt of this human mistake. If it weren't for all the bleeding heart liberals and dim-witted benchwarmers who have Bidened up our justice system, he would have been tried, found guilty, and exterminated within a few weeks. I would like to know how many millions it has cost the taxpayers to keep this piece of crap well kept and well medicated since 1981. To all of the knee-jerks who are expressing sympathy for Hinckley, I say dig into your own pockets and give his parents money to keep trying to spring their infamous son. Otherwise, you are just mouthing worthless platitudes.
There's no death penalty in this type of case, so the guy is staying in jail or a mental hospital. Cut the crap about Biden etc. He's got nothing to do with it. Obama got nothing to do with it. Why not blame Reagan? he was President at the time.
You people do know Hinckley has spent more time out than in hospital since 2009? Has been allowed to leave the place for weeks at a time before that. What is are country coming to? When an Presidential assassin goes free. He shot the Gipper! What should we do put Hinckley, Chapman, and Manson in a halfway house? I'm sure they could make things up to talk about, each could try to be more psychotic than the others..
The family has never been responsible for John's bills unless they signed consent or contracted to do so. He was an adult then and now.
public593, all welfare are social programs, food stamps and medicaid are also social programs. That is what he was referring to though I very much doubt if Hinckley's family will be taking advantage of those. Most law abiding sane people don't have a family who will stick by them through thick and thin, I hope Hinckley appreciates having a family like that but I doubt it. If he was nuts enough to do what he did it's unlikely he's aware of anything else.
Uh, Hello He DID murder someone...Bradly?????? He also shot the president. He should stay locked away with his mothers lil helpers...I will not foot the bill for the twit. The family wants to fine but honestly they should let that idiot go to prison where he belonged.
If I were to let someone out it would be the guy that killed Lennon, Lennon was a bubble gum rocker in the ...what 60's? He touched no one sice he'd left the Beatles, he was just another loadie....where that you or I the killer would be out but instead YoKo and fam keep him in over 30 years...he must be an old old man.
They are wasting their money/lives on a lost cause why bother? I don't understand the long distance visitation but that is a personnel problem and nothing for us to concern ourselves with, you know he will never be released so that is a wasted avenue, the hearing is over so why keep paying the lawyers? its over why fight it and just who is paying for all the hospital bills? I could be an a$$ and just say you brought him into thisworld you deal with it, why is this even news. they brought this pos onto us it wasn't the other way around. 30 years of legal bills! get real. if he would have been properly executed this would not be a problem.
@Zazu-I don't believe in insanity pleas so I am not arguing that point but did want to point out that he did not succeed in killing anyone. You may have meant Brady, but he did not die.
I'm sorry for this family but this son is a lost cause. He shot three people, including the President, endangering lives as well as our democracy. Plus, I cannot imagine Jodi Foster being too sympathetic with him being let out for visits, as he was obsessed with her. Why unnerve her by fighting for him and bringing him up in the press time and again? Insanity pleas are rarely successful but he succeeded, and he received a just and merciful sentence, is receiving care, is not in prison, and the family needs to move on.
Well, Hell's Bells, let pass around the hat. Sure there are millions of unfortunates out there, but who better deserves our help than the family of a guy who shot President Regan, Secretary Brady and a Secret Service agent?
He isn't a terrorist. He was found to be mentally ill. His family is not to blame and I don't believe they are asking for your help. We should all have families who take responsibility for their children no matter what.
Lets all take up a collection for him. NOT.
I don't care how bat sh*t crazy he is Keen he tried to kill our president! No sympathy/empathy from me
Yes, shooting a President of the United States is bound to run up some legal bills for you. My suggestion is: Don't do it no matter how crazy you may be. If the voices in your head are telling you to shoot the President, tell them to go away and shoot themselves. It'll save you a lot of money. I know it wasn't his family's fault, but if they want to continue to support his cause, it is going to cost them. That's why they have given up. You're on your own now, John.
You love your kids unconditionally. You have no control over what they do. If I remember right the family made a very difficult decision and cut him off financially shortly before the shooting because they didn't like the direction John's life was going. Sometimes tough love works and sometimes it doesn't. At least they tried. You have to admire them for sticking by him all these years.
This guy shot the President, Brady, the secret service officer, and a DC police officer because he had the hots for Jody Foster and thought his being famous would impress her. He didn't have a political motive, he had a hormonal motive for shooting somebody famous. The attempted murder of the president and 3 others should park him in a prison if he's sane enough to be out strolling around in public. The fact that he was mentally ill should have meant he could serve part of his time in a hospital, the remainder in a prison and he could take his chances with the parole board just like the other convicted felons.
@ RC They waited to long to cut him off, over parenting can be a bad thing too, spoiling a child is a bad thing, I know, we have a nation full of them. like a nest full of starving chicks big enough to care for themselves but wont leave the nest. you have to boot them out when the time is right or they will engulf everything you have. the BS labor laws in this country are teaching kids that they are not supposed to work, and everything is to be given to them. you have to teach them to fly when its time or they wont do it.
Typical rant by a spoiled brat raised by parents that GAVE everything to their spoiled kid. NOW THAT KID is afraid SOME OTHER PERSON'S KID will get "what they think is rightfully theirs". Yea Buck, I was talking about you. An ungrateful bigot believing the world revolves around your ignorant big head. IDIOT!!!!!
I understand a families love of one of their family members, but what a waste of money. This person is lucky he did not get locked up in a federal prison for the rest of his life. Hinckley is where he deserves to be. What is not mentioned is all the money that the rest of us have to pay to counter all the legal issues the family has spent money on.
His family has never believed his actions were serious enough to allow their son to receive medical attention FOR FREE, then they spend their remaining dollars trying to erase his actions from the legal system. I have no compassion for them whatsoever. They could have visited their son anytime they wanted, he would have had proper care yet they deny his debt to society. He could rot in a mental ward as far as I care, if they want different, THEN LET THEM PAY FOR THE PRIVILEGE, HE IS AS GUILTY TODAY AS HE WAS BACK THEN.
I'm thinking that this little creep has had all the legal help he deserves plus some. He should never, ever see the light of day and his furloughs from his institution are a bad idea that serve no purpose to anyone but he and his family.
Can't his mother visit him. give me a friggen brake this 2 bit piece of crap shot 3 people not to mention 1 was the president of the US. They should have used him for bait to troll for sharks. Not put him up in the mental hilton.
He should have been hanged for what he did. Let him rot in there.
reading most of these comments just highlights the fact that our justice is about nothing but revenge and retribution, sure this guy shot a Prez. but he was mentally ill at the time and through time and treatment may actually be "well" at this time.
Squeaky Fromme made parole in 2009 after 34yrs in prison after attempting to shoot Pres. Ford in 1975.
For those of you who are so self righteous, I am glad you are prefect humans who never made a terrible mistake of any kind. Have a good day!
BTW at one time, long ago, Reagan was my CIC and I have deep respect for him for a number of reasons.
"Squeaky Fromme made parole in 2009 after 34yrs in prison after attempting to shoot Pres. Ford"
So if you actually shoot the President, not counting the other 3 victims, you should get at least 34 years. It hasn't been 34 years plus add time for the others he should still be behind bars.
The part I hate is for every dollar the family spends to fight his cause cost us to counter that battle so I wish they would just knock it off he will never be free and he is living a much better life then he deserves.
Mentally illness should not be an excuse for crime. Sure, go to a mental hosp and when deemed well, serve the rest of the sentence in prison with the sane criminals.
I am sorry, but I may come across as a hard-ass here. I know the guy's parents want to try and spend more time with him, but HE TRIED TO ASSASSINATE RONALD REAGAN while he was the President of the United States. He should have got the death penalty and we shouldn't be hearing about him any more. He didn't 'allegedly' do this. He actually pulled the trigger!
When the money's gone, so are the sharks.
Si Senor
Just an observation here, and one I am sure the tree-huggery liberals are gonna pounce on, BUT, I will say it anyhow.
How is it that we have human beings that are declared NOT GUILTY because they are Mentally Ill, and basically exhonerate what they did. Why should we, through our tax payer dollars, continue to pay for, feed, house, and provide life for a human being that is supposedly so mentally ill that they can not differentiate between right and wrong, when this "instability" should have been seen, reported, and handled by the family BEFORE an incident occurs. Why in God's Name are we NOT executing these people who will serve NO OTHER PURPOSE to society, other than drain, cause legal log jams, and NEVER be able to see freedom again?
I know it sounds harsh. But let's say I have a dog. And my dog bites the mail man as he comes INTO my yard to deliver the mail. Now, I am responsible for my dog, so I get to pay the medical bill FOR that mail man. And on top of it, I get to destroy my dog, not for doing something "wrong" per se, because in my dog's mind, he was defending MY YARD, which is HIS JOB. Now before you say well that its because it is JUST A DOG, keep in mind, DOGS can be trained. Dogs can be taught not to arbitrarily bite and kill people. Dogs are one hell of a deterrent to crime. So what can the Mentally Ill that apparently are too "sick and diseased mentally" that they can not differentiate between right and wrong, where they try to kill some one, rape someone, burn someone's house down, or even be a member of congress (just a joke here) but you get the picture.
Harsh as it may be, but let's think for an instant that Crazy Joe "escapes" from the assylum, and he was sent there because he doused some kid before lighting him on fire, burning that kid to death. Do you think Crazy Joe is going to flee to mexico? Or do you think it is PROBABLE that crazy Joe is a Mortal Danger and Threat to society? If you believe Crazy Joe is a threat, a danger, even inside the coo coo house to the people lookin after him, then why play with fire? If you see a rabid animal, you shoot it, because it is a THREAT to people. We need to stop playing touchy feely and cull the herd, as the saying goes... Locked away in the nut house is not living either, and if they are too damned dangerous to "cure" then by God, stop striking matches in the dynamite shack... Just my opinion...
@ watcher the reason we keep them is because the people that present this argument stand to make mega bucks off of them being preserved, dead they are worth nothing. the small minded liberals are just pawns in their quest for dollars, fools that jump on any $hit wagon that comes by.
I have an answer that the Hinckley family should have taken 30 years ago. It's called getting a lawyer "pro bono" who'll be assigned to their son's or brother's case at the state's expense. Question: Why didn't they figure out early on [like immediately!] that when someone attempts to assassinate a president his/her chances of ever seeing the outside world again are guaranteed to be ZERO. Squeaky Fromme is another presently suffering that same fate.
Note: This should send a message to anyone who in the future thinks it's a good idea to shoot a standing president: "DON'T DO IT!"
Pro bono doesn't cover the bills. Even if you could find a lawyer who will give away free representation for decades, the cost of filings has to be paid. Just those could bankrupt an average family. His family knew from the beginning he was likely never to be set free but they simply felt obligated to do as much for him as possible.
If they want to waste their time and money then they are as crazy as he is.
The state does not pay for appeals. They don't have to. They only give you a lawyer until you are convicted. If you want to appeal anything after that, it's your nickel. I am gald for that. Otherwise, every criminal in the country would have a continuous line of appeals running all the time. 3 million plus appeals going at the same time. It would cripple the judicial system. It would cost you and me TRILLIONS of dollars a year in appeals. If lawyers thought they could get away with it, they would be lining up at the door to get to that money.
The state does not pay for appeals. They don't have to. They only give you a lawyer until you are convicted. If you want to appeal anything after that, it's your nickel. I am gald for that. Otherwise, every criminal in the country would have a continuous line of appeals running all the time. 3 million plus appeals going at the same time. It would cripple the judicial system. It would cost you and me TRILLIONS of dollars a year in appeals. If lawyers thought they could get away with it, they would be lining up at the door to get to that money.
He should have been executed.
Let him rot. He's only not in prison for life because he conned someone into thinking he's nuts. Now, it seems, he's not so nuts anymore and wants out. Too effing bad.
Keen Insight, why don't you kick in and help the family. Maybe Feisty, Bev, and Doofus Patriot could chip in too. After all, Reagan was a hated Republican.
Reagan's wife Nancy actually covered up the fact that your beloved president was suffering from senility while in office.
His family should never have wasted their time or their finances. If they want to visit him for moral support and make sure he's taken care of fine but all the rest is a waste of effort, finances and quality of life.
Gee - a man who almost murdered one of the most beloved President's of all time - his family having financial hard times - - Hinckley's sorry butt should still be in prison!!!!!! Blood sucking lawyers doin' what comes natural!!!
Gee what a great bunch of lawyers. Milking the family for 30 years and not much to show for it. I guess now their lawyers can refer them to a bankruptcy lawyer. Did yo know they get their money off the top before anybody else gets any in a bankruptcy case. Otherwise no one would represent them. Lawyers are blood suckers, but not unless they got something to get.
His family is also a victim of the crime.
Wrong they did not get their son help or paid so little attention to him that they did not know he was sick. Either way they raised this monster they are not a victim.
So I guess they can sue the government for letting them get into this mess. It always everybody elses fault so we, the taxpayers, always give until it hurts.... us...
That piece of white trash should have been burnt long ago. Worthless trash who took lives. And idiodic folks have sympathy. This jerk are the reason we have so many shootings like these. The trash become instant heros, world over. Fry the SOB.
Fast forward 30 years, Jared Loughner. same s**t.
Tony you got my vote. And unfortunately the "look alikes" that will follow.
How about the folks he killed or runined their lives. President is one thing but the others deserve no hatred. Burn the SOB.
Wakani.......Are you REALLY that stupid?
Name 1 person he killed.
And your earlier post : That piece of white trash should have been burnt long ago. Worthless trash who took lives....
Again, let me repeat.....Are you really that stupid?
I know you have anger issues, but at least try to have some knowledge of things you feel the need to comment on.
"This jerk are the reason we have so many shootings like these"
Yeah..that's it...that's the reason......
Maybe..just maybe..he stopped taking his meds like it appears you did.
Hey Name caller I will name one person...Bradly the same Bradly the Gun Bill is named after you mental tard. Talk about anger issues? You need professional help son..like a restraint jacket.
So MURDER ONE FOR BRADLY AND WOUNDED THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES at the same time...this is why education in this country is a joke
Zazu dear, Mr. Brady was not killed in the shooting. He was seriously wounded but was able to testify before Congress about the incident and support more controls on firearms. it is possible you would understand stuff better if you would check your facts.
This is just another reminder of how corrupt, crooked and greedy the legal profession is.
Just the nature of their business is dirturbing: Half the lawyers have to lie all the time, or all the lawyers have to lie half the time, or there is no reason for them to exist.
From from what I understand, the family was well off , fiscally. A lot of the legal wrangling over the last 30 years has been to make his life and the family's more comfortable. His ability to leave the facility, being closer to this family member etc. The fights were not to save him from dire circumstances. Therefore, it is a free county, they spent their money as they wished and now they don't have so much. Maybe contributing some of those funds to research on mental illness or setting up some trust for shooting victims would have been better. Ah, you can tell, I am not sorry for them.
let the bastard rot in prison and get butt fxxxed by the other prisoners.
I agree, they chose to spend their money on him knowing he shot all of those people.
gee my heart goes out to them, but why bother, hinkley should have received the death penalty
.
.
serves them right they should have let him rot in jail like he should have
I agree he should have gone to prison...and now that everyones out of money he should still go to prison...others that kill go to prison, he's nothing special excepte he did it to get Jody Foster (GAY) to love him...that SO ain't gonna happen....even if she were straight...imo
once you are deemed insane, no visits out side period.
should he hurt someone outside while on one of his visits,
they should lock up the doctors for life.
I have to disagree with you on this one.
People who are able to have family contact once they are found to be insane are easier to to control and work with and has sometimes contributed to a change in status to be considered sane... At which time he then would get transferred to a prison to serve for the crime.
In THIS case that would be little or no time with the time served, since no one was actually killed. What you proposed would be setting the mental health policy back by almost 75 years. Back when those coming back from wars with PTSD were just executed.
You may be telling the truth, put those pills the give them an hour prior to a visit...you're saying they have nothing to do with the drooler in the diaper, sitting in the corner being visited?
There are millions of Americans who suffer from mental illness, most never pick up a gun and go out and shoot people.
This person paralyzed Mr Brady and shot the President. Do we really ever believe that he is still not a danger to others?
At least he is still alive because he was not shot, not so lucky with his victims. He is only a victim of his own actions.
Keep him safely away.
This middle aged man is no longer his parents' financial responsibility. He needs a gov't appointed attorney, if indeed, he needs an attorney at all. Crazy, or crazy like a fox, he is not a child anymore and his parents need to stop pretending he needs to be treated as such.
*I* am NOT crazy!!!! (*bops rene on the head with a nerf ball*)
Someone else posting here a while ago suggested that the family declare bankruptcy. I agree with that. Banko is a worthy avenue if all else fails. Sounds like the family is getting older and needs their money for retirement. And yes, they should go visit John as much as possible rather than trying to get him to visit at their home.