WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 35 years after he tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster, John Hinckley Jr. will be allowed to leave a Washington mental hospital and live full time with his mother in Virginia, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Judge Paul Friedman wrote Hinckley - who currently spends more than half his days at his mother's home - is ready to live full time in the community. Friedman granted Hinckley leave from the hospital starting no sooner than Aug. 5.
Doctors have said for many years Hinckley, 61, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting, is no longer plagued by the mental illness that drove him to shoot Reagan.
Three others were wounded in the March 30, 1981, shooting outside a Washington hotel, including Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, who suffered debilitating injuries and died in 2014.
The shooting endangered Reagan's life, but he recovered after undergoing emergency surgery. He died in 2004 at age 93.
Hinckley was a "profoundly troubled 25-year-old young man" when he shot Reagan, but his mental illnesses - major depression and psychotic disorder - have been in remission for more than 27 years, Friedman wrote.
"Mr. Hinckley, by all accounts, has shown no signs of psychotic symptoms, delusional thinking, or any violent tendencies," the judge wrote in his opinion. "The court finds that Mr. Hinckley has received the maximum benefits possible in the inpatient setting (and) that inpatient treatment is no longer clinically warranted or beneficial."
Hinckley's release from Washington's St. Elizabeths hospital has been more than a decade in the making. He was allowed day visits with his parents in 2003, and in 2006, he began visiting his parents' home in Williamsburg, Virginia, for three-night stretches. That time has increased over the years so that for the past two-plus years he has been allowed to spend 17 days a month at the house overlooking a golf course in a gated community.
The foundation that honors Reagan's legacy said Hinckley should remain in custody, noting his responsibility for Brady's death, which was later ruled a homicide. Prosecutors declined to charge Hinckley with murder, in part because they would be barred from arguing he was sane at the time of the shootings.
"Contrary to the judge's decision, we believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others, and we strongly oppose his release," the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said in a statement.
Largely remembered for his boyish mugshot, Hinckley is now a doughy man with graying hair who wears hats or visors when he drives around Williamsburg in a Toyota Avalon, going to movies and fast-food restaurants. He also plays guitar, paints and cares for feral cats.
While outside the hospital, Hinckley has had to comply with a series of restrictions, and some of those will continue. He must attend individual and group therapy sessions and is barred from talking to the media. He can drive, but there are restrictions on how far he can travel. The Secret Service also periodically follows him.
Despite the restrictions, life in Williamsburg will likely be busy for Hinckley. The judge ordered him to volunteer or work at a paid job at least three days a week. He has sought out work and volunteer opportunities, but so far has been unable to secure employment.
Hinckley must return to Washington once a month for doctors to check on his mental state and his compliance with the conditions of his leave, the judge ruled.
He also will be barred from trying to contact Foster, all relatives of Reagan and Brady or the other two victims, police officer Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and their families.
