John Hinckley Jr., who shot and attempted to assassinate former President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was granted an unconditional release by a federal judge on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Hinckley has been living full time at his home in Virginia under watch and with restriction since 2016, per The Associated Press. In September, a judge stated that Hinckley would be free of all constraints if he was able to live safely among the community for some amount of time, which he has been doing.
The restrictions he has had to abide by while living in Virginia include: allowing officials access to his electronic devices and online accounts; not traveling to any area where someone will be protected by the Secret Service; and giving three days’ notice any time he wants to travel more than 75 miles from his home, per NBC News.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman stated that the release will take effect on June 15, as long as Hinckley maintains good behavior, according to Fox News.
“He’s been scrutinized. He’s passed every test. He’s no longer a danger to himself or others,” Friedman said, according to The Associated Press. The judge went on to say that Hinckley needed mental help in the 1980s when he shot Reagan, but has since gotten the help he needed and has not shown signs of mental illness in decades.
Hinckley’s case: On March 30, 1980, Hinckley shot Reagan and three others outside of the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., according to Biography.com.
The bullets hit Reagan in the lungs, just missing his heart. The president made a full recovery, and Hinckley was taken into custody, per Biography.
During trial in 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty due to insanity, Reuters reported. He was then committed to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital until he was released into a supervised community in 2016.