John Hinckley: Driven to Madness

On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. after giving a speech at a labor convention. It was just another day for Reagan...or so he thought.

The Shooting

As he departed the hotel, a series of shots rang out nearby. In a chaotic sequence, Reagan was quickly ushered away into a nearby car while the shooter, 25 year old John Hinckley Jr. was tackled by the Secret Service. When the dust settled, Reagan was critically wounded and three others had been wounded as well: White House Press Secretary James Brady, Police Officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy.

Hinckley's prime motivation in shooting Reagan was his obsession with actress Jodie Foster. Hinckley first discovered Foster when he saw the movie Taxi Driver a few years prior and he became enamored with her. Over the years, he sent her countless love letters and phone calls. On the day of the shooting, Hinckley wrote one more letter to Foster, stating that he planned to win her over by killing Reagan.

Hinkley faced 13 charges in federal court, which included attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. His attorney, Vince Fuller, tried to work out a plea deal, but the prosecution wouldn't budge. This left Hinckley with only one option: The insanity defense.

The Trial

Fuller opened the defense's case with John's parents discussing his childhood and struggles with mental illness. From there, Fuller brought in numerous psychiatrists who testified in further detail about Hinckley's mental state. The primary defense psychiatrist, Dr. William Carpenter, interviewed Hinckley extensively and believed that he was suffering from schizophrenia. Carpenter also testified that Hinckley was losing his sense of identity and replacing it with various movie characters, one of whom was Travis Bickle, the protagonist of Taxi Driver. To reinforce that idea, Fuller closed the defense's case with a rather unique exhibit: The movie Taxi Driver in its entirety.

Prosecutor Roger Adelman countered with experts of his own who testified that although Hinckley had his issues, insanity was not one of them. In addition, Adelman introduced Hinckley's extensive flight routes across the country over the years to show that he was capable of making and carrying out intricate travel plans.

The closing arguments were intense on both sides. The prosecution went first, with Adelman recounting the day of the shooting and Hinckley's calculated actions. He also held the gun used in the shooting and waved it around the courtroom as he implored the jury to hold Hinckley accountable. Fuller was up next for the defense. He opted to focus more on Hinckley's past, especially his unhealthy obsession with Jodie Foster. Fuller emphasized how Hinckley's mental state deteriorated over the years until finally reaching its breaking point.

After closing arguments concluded, it was officially in the hands of the jury. After three days of deliberations, they finally arrived at a verdict: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity for all 13 counts.

The Aftermath

The verdict sent shockwaves throughout the nation. Many people felt that the jury got it wrong, and that the legal system was too lenient in its guidelines for establishing insanity. Over the next few years, Congress enacted a series of reforms which swapped the burden of proof from the prosecution to the defense in such cases. In addition, any defendant who raised this defense would now have to show that they were suffering from a mental disease rather than merely losing control in the moment.

Hinckley spent approximately 40 years in a mental institution before being released in June of 2022. He currently has a YouTube channel with over 40,000 subscribers.

Sources:

https://www.famous-trials.com/johnhinckley/537-home

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleytranscript.htm#Fuller