Lawyers: Would-be Reagan Assassin Should Spend Most of His Time Free

U.S. federal judge heard arguments on Wednesday on whether would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr. could spend more time outside the mental hospital where he has lived since shooting Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Hinckley, 59, has been allowed since December 2013 to leave Washington's St. Elizabeths Hospital for 17 days a month to stay with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In his opening statement, Hinckley lawyer Barry Levine requested Hinckley be granted convalescent leave, the equivalent of outpatient status, so he could live with his 89-year-old mother.

"There is no dispute that Mr. Hinckley is clinically ready for the next step in treatment, which is convalescent leave," Levine said.

Hinckley shot Reagan and three others, including White House press secretary James Brady, in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster, with whom he was obsessed. A jury found him not guilty of attempted assassination by reason of insanity.

The hearing could last months before U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman renders a decision.

The U.S. government opposes the request for outside time for Hinckley and prosecutor Colleen Kennedy told Friedman the provisions suggested for expanded release were inadequate for a would-be presidential assassin. Hinckley also has written to killers Ted Bundy and Charles Manson and in January lied about where he was going when he was on leave from the hospital, she said.

"Now is not the time to loosen the reigns of the hospital," she said.

Doctors and therapists had asked Friedman before his 2013 ruling on Hinckley's confinement to expand the length of his trips to Williamsburg, about 150 miles (240 km) south of Washington, to 24 days a month and eventually to let him live there full time.

Friedman issued a 29-point order in February 2014 that encompassed Hinckley's Internet use, travel, volunteer work, walks within his mother's subdivision, therapy and medication.

During unaccompanied outings, Hinckley must avoid government centers in Richmond, Virginia, which is about 50 miles (80 km)from Williamsburg, or areas where the president or members of Congress may be visiting. He also must carry a GPS-enabled cell phone and call the hospital daily during visits to his mother.

At the hearing, Levine said Hinckley was in full remission from his mental illness and was spending the majority of his time outside the hospital. He said Hinckley was fully compliant with his medication regime.

During a 2011 hearing, prosecutors argued Hinckley repeatedly engaged in deception when away from the hospital. In one case, Secret Service agents saw him browsing books on Reagan and other presidential assassins instead of going to a movie, as he had told doctors he would.

Brady died last August at age 73, and a coroner determined the death was attributable to the shooting.