John Warnock Hinckley, Jr. (born May 29, 1955) attempted
to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.
Biography
John Hinckley, Jr. was born on May 29, 1955, in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and grew up in Texas.[1] He went to Highland Park High School in Dallas County, Texas. The family, owners of the Hinckley Oil company, later moved to
Colorado. An off-and-on student at Texas Tech
University from 1972 to 1980, in 1975 he headed to Los Angeles in the
hope of becoming a songwriter. These efforts were unsuccessful, and his letters home to his
parents were full of tales of misfortune and pleas for money. He also spoke of a girlfriend, Lynn Collins, who turned out to be a
complete fabrication. He returned home to his parents' house in Evergreen, Colorado,
before the year was out. Over the next few years he developed a pattern of living on his own for a while and then returning home
broke.
Obsession with Jodie Foster
Hinckley would develop a dangerous obsession with Foster, who played the 12-year-old child prostitute Iris/Easy in
Taxi
Driver
After repeated viewings of the 1976 movie Taxi
Driver, in which a disturbed protagonist, Travis Bickle, played by
Robert DeNiro, plots to assassinate a presidential candidate, Hinckley developed an
obsession with actress Jodie Foster, who had played a child prostitute in the film[2]. When Foster entered Yale University, Hinckley moved to
New Haven, Connecticut, for a short time to be nearer to her, slipping poems and
messages under her door and repeatedly contacting her by telephone.
Failing to develop any meaningful contact with Foster, Hinckley developed such plots as hijacking an airplane and committing suicide in front of her to gain her attention. Eventually he
settled on a scheme to win her over by assassinating the president, with the theory that as a historical figure, he would be her
equal. To this end, he trailed Jimmy Carter, then president, from state to state, but was
arrested in Nashville, Tennessee on a firearms charge. Penniless, he returned home
once again, and despite psychiatric treatment for depression, his mental health did not improve. In 1981, he began to target the newly elected
president, Ronald Reagan. It was also at this time that he started collecting information
on Lee Harvey Oswald, John F Kennedy's assassin, whom he saw as a role model.
Just prior to Hinckley's failed attempt on Reagan's life, he wrote to Foster[3]:
Over the past seven months I've left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope that you could develop
an interest in me. Although we talked on the phone a couple of times I never had the nerve to simply approach you and introduce
myself. [...] the reason I'm going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you.
Reported Hinckley family connections
According to the March 31, 1981, edition of the Houston Post, and reported by AP, UPI, NBC News and Newsweek,
Hinckley is the son of one of George H.W. Bush's political and financial supporters in
his 1980 presidential primary campaign against Ronald Reagan; John Hinckley Sr.'s Vanderbilt Energy had been threatened with a $2
million fine the morning of the assassination attempt. John Jr.'s older brother, Scott Hinckley, and Neil Bush had a dinner
appointment scheduled for the next day.[4][5]
Associated Press published the following short note on March 31, 1981:
The family of the man charged with trying to assassinate President Reagan is acquainted with the family of Vice-President
George Bush and had made large contributions to his political campaign ... Scott Hinckley, brother of John W. Hinckley Jr. who
allegedly shot at Reagan, was to have dined tonight in Denver at the home of Neil Bush, one of the Vice-President's sons ...
The Houston Post said it was unable to reach Scott Hinckley, vice-president of his father's Denver-based firm, Vanderbilt
Energy Corp, for comment. Neil Bush lives in Denver, where he works for Standard Oil Co of
Indiana. In 1978, Neil Bush served as campaign manager for his brother, George W. Bush,
the Vice-President's eldest son, who made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. Neil lived in Lubbock, Texas, throughout much of
1978, where John Hinckley lived from 1974 through 1980.
Assassination attempt
-
Chaos outside the Washington Hilton Hotel after the assassination attempt on President Reagan.
On March 30, 1981, Hinckley fired a Röhm RG-14 six times at Reagan as he left the Hilton Hotel in
Washington, D.C. after addressing an AFL-CIO
conference. The gun cost $25, was manufactured by Rohm Gesellschaft, a West German company,
and assembled in Miami by its American subsidiary, R.G. Industries, Inc.[6] ATF agents determined
that the gun was bought at Rocky's Pawn Shop in Dallas, Texas.[7] It was loaded with six Devastator rounds, designed to explode on impact, though all failed to do
so.[8]
Hinckley wounded press secretary James Brady, police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent
Timothy McCarthy. The initial barrage missed President Reagan, but he was seriously wounded
when a bullet that ricocheted from the bulletproof glass of the presidential limousine hit him in the chest.[9] Hinckley did not attempt to flee and was arrested at the scene. All of the
shot men survived and recovered, although Brady, who had been shot in the right side of his head, remained paralyzed on the left
side of his body. [1]
Trial
At the trial in 1982, charged with 13 offenses, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on June 21. The defense
psychiatric reports found him to be insane while the prosecution reports declared him legally
sane.[9]
Hinckley was confined at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C.[9] When reporters asked Hinckley's attorney
Vincent J. Fuller to elaborate about his victory over the federal government he said,
"Another day, another dollar."[10]
Reaction to verdict
The verdict led to widespread dismay; as a result, the U.S. Congress and a
number of states rewrote the law regarding the insanity defense. Idaho, Kansas, Montana, and Utah have abolished the defense altogether[11]. In the United States prior to the Hinckley case, the
insanity defense had been used in less than 2% of all felony cases and was unsuccessful in almost
75% of the trials in which it was used.[9]
Hinckley's parents wrote a book in 1985, Breaking Points, about their son's mental condition.[9]
St Elizabeths
Shortly after his trial, Hinckley wrote that the shooting was "the greatest love offering in the history of the world," and
was upset that Foster did not reciprocate his love.[12]
After being admitted, tests found that Hinckley was an "unpredictably dangerous" man who may harm himself, Jodie Foster, and
any other third party. In 1983 he told Penthouse magazine that on a typical
day he will “see a therapist, answer mail, play [his] guitar, listen to music, play pool, watch television, eat lousy food, and
take delicious medication”.[13]
He was allowed to leave the hospital for supervised visits to his parents in 1999 and longer, unsupervised releases in
2000.[1] These
privileges were revoked when he was found to have smuggled materials about Foster back into the hospital. Hinckley was later
allowed supervised visits in 2004 and 2005. Court hearings were held in September 2005 on whether he could have expanded
privileges to leave the hospital. Some of the testimony during the hearings centered on whether Hinckley is capable of having a
normal relationship with a woman and, if not, whether that would have any bearing on what danger he would pose to society.
On December 30, 2005, a federal judge ruled that Hinckley
would be allowed visits, supervised by his parents, to their home outside of Washington, D.C. The judge ruled that Mr. Hinckley
could have up to three visits of three nights and then four visits of four nights, each depending on the successful completion of
the last. All of the experts who testified at Mr. Hinckley's 2005 conditional release hearing, including the government experts,
agreed that his depression and psychotic disorder
were in full remission and that he should have some expanded conditions of release.
After requesting further freedoms including 2 week visits with his parents as well as a month long visit, U.S. District Judge
Paul L. Friedman denied that request on Tuesday, June 6, 2007, but not because Hinckley wasn't ready.
"The reasons the court has reached this decision rest with the hospital, not with Mr. Hinckley," Friedman said, adding that
Hinckley's prior visits have been uneventful and his family has done all that has been asked of them. "Unfortunately, the
hospital has not taken the steps it must take before any such transition can begin."
Cultural references
Hinckley is one of the assassins portrayed in Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical Assassins, in which he sings a
folk ballad, "Unworthy of Your Love", professing his love to Foster. The song is a duet with Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme who was cult leader Charles Manson's most loyal disciple. Fromme had herself previously failed to assassinate U.S. President
Gerald Ford.
Hinckley had a copy of Catcher in the Rye on him at the time of his
assassination attempt. He is said to have been influenced by Mark Chapman.
The 1980s hardcore punk band Ism recorded a song
entitled "John Hinckley Jr. (What Has Jodie Foster Done To You?)" on The Big Apple Rotten To The Core hardcore punk compilation and their 1983 debut LP
A Diet For The Worms. It includes the lyrics: "First Lincoln, then Kennedy, but Reagan got away/So you stood near
the Hilton/With a gun in your hand/Waiting for Reagan/Even the mentally ill can calculate and premeditate plans."
Hardcore punk band The Crucifucks released a song on their self titled LP in 1985 entitled
"Hinkley had a Vision", in which singer and lyricist Doc Corbin Dart fanticized about
killing then president Reagon by "Chop(ing) off his head" and "mail(ing) it to them (Christians)in a garbage bag".
National Lampoon included a "letter" from Hinckley in one issue, declaring "I
shot the wrong Brady! It wasn't Jim I wanted - it was Mike, Carol, Greg, Marcia..." and names the whole Brady Bunch cast as future victims.
In The Onion's satirical recap of the 20th Century, Our
Dumb Century there is an article titled "Hinckley, Foster to Wed" which notes "Actress 'Very Impressed' by Lone-Nut
Gunman's Attempt on President's Life."
In the Family Guy episode "Model
Misbehavior," Hinckley fires the gun to start a boat race, and then Foster shows up saying that she was impressed by the
way he fired the gun and maybe she has changed her view of him, as well as of all men.
In the Seinfeld episode "The
Pitch," Jerry Seinfeld remarks, "Give my best to Hinckley," after
having an odd conversation with "Crazy" Joe Davola.
In an episode of "Gilmore Girls", Luke Dane says, "and they told me to start writing letters to Jodie Foster!".
A song called "I Desire" appears on Devo's fifth album, Oh, No! It's Devo, which features lyrics by and based upon John Hinckley's songs to Jodie
Foster.
In the American Dad episode "The Best Christmas Story Never," Stan is taken back in time to the 1970s where he
convinces Martin Scorsese to quit drugs which results in Taxi Driver never being made. This results in an alternate future in which John Hinckley never attempts
to assassinate Ronald Reagan, and Walter Mondale becomes President of the United States
and soon after hands over power to the Soviets.
The 1980s Wall of Voodoo hit Far Side of Crazy is sung from the point of view of John
Hinckley Jr. and incorporates Hinckley's poetry as well as such lines as "I shot an actor for an actress who lived to tell a
joke."
In Se7en, Brad Pitt's character Det. David Mills, says "Voices made me do it.
My dog made me do it. Jodie Foster told me to do it." when talking about the motives
behind insane criminals deeds.
On Episode #301 of Mystery Science Theater 3000, featuring
Cave Dwellers, Crow T. Robot, seeing
a credit for actress Lisa Foster, jokes "I'd shoot Donald
Regan to prove my love for Lisa Foster!"
On the TV series The Greatest American Hero, the last name of the
central character, Ralph Hinkley (spelled without a C), was (without in-story explanation) changed to "Hanley," supposedly
in reaction to John Hinckley's activities.
In Conspiracy Theory, the characters Jerry Fletcher and Alice Sutton
refer to Hinckley in conversation:
Jerry: "[L]one gunmen assassins, they always have three names. John Wilkes
Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Mark David
Chapman..."
Alice: "John Hinckley. He shot Reagan. He only has two names."
Jerry: "Yeah, but he only just shot Reagan. Reagan didn't die. If Reagan had died, I'm pretty sure we probably
would all know what John Hinckley's middle name was."
Jerry has a fascination of Catcher in the Rye- Hinckley had a copy of
Catcher in the Rye on him at the time of his assassination attempt.
References
- ^ a b The American Experience -
John Hinckley Jr by Julie Wolf. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
- ^ Taxi Driver: Its
Influence on John Hinckley, Jr.
- ^ Letter written
to Jodie Foster by John Hinckley Jr., March 30, 1981
- ^ Here in Reality - John Hinckley Retrieved 6 April 2007.
- ^ Bush's Son Was To Dine With Suspect's Brother, by Arthur Wiese and Margaret
Downing, The Houston Post, March 31, 1981
- ^ The Gun: A Saturday Night Special From Miami, by Pete Earley, Washington
Post, March 31, 1981. Retrieved 28 February, 2007.
- ^ Guns Traced in 16 Minutes to Pawn Shop in Dallas, Charles Mohr, New York
Times, April 1, 1981. Retrieved February 28, 2007.
- ^ The Exploding Bullets, by Pete Barley and Charles Babcock, Washington
Post, 4 Apr, 1981. Retrieved 28 February, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e The Trial
of John W. Hinckley, Jr. by Doug Linder. 2001 Retrieved 10 March 2007.
- ^ Vincent J. Fuller; Star Attorney Defended Hinckley, Hoffa, Tyson by Matt Schudel. The Washington Post. 29 July
2006. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
- ^ The John
Hinckley Trial & Its Effect on the Insanity Defense by Kimberly Collins, Gabe Hinkebein, and Staci Schorgl
- ^ Hinckley Hails 'Historical' Shooting To Win Love by Stuart Taylor Jr. New York Times. 9 July 1982. Retrieved
21 March 2007.
- ^ Life at St.
Elizabeths by Denise Noe. Crime Library. Courtroom Television Network, LLC. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
