ill never type as well as she could, but she-- shes definitely a big influence there. keith morrison: and inspired your love of them. max farver: mm-hm. she-- she definitely did. so i-- i have her to thank for-- for what im going down now. keith morrison: i think shed be pretty proud of you. max farver: i hope so. i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline." andrea canning: it was one of the most harrowing days in our history. the attempted assassination of president reagan. screaming, yelling. it's chaos. andrea canning: now an unprecedented look into the mind and new life of the gunman, john hinckley

jr. with the stories you haven't heard, the police officer who questioned hinckley speaks out in his first nationally televised interview. i just didn't think that he realized the magnitude of what he had done. andrea canning: from behind the hospital walls. he turned to her and said, will you marry me? andrea canning: secrets from his diaries uncovered by "dateline." his obsession with actress jodie foster. the letters were assumed to have been love type letters. andrea canning: and the most controversial question of all. is hinckley really fit to be free? he's a potentially dangerous character. he's proven that. hello and welcome to "dateline." he shot a president and shook the country. since that day more than 40 years ago, gunman john hinckley jr. has remained an enigma. now we are about to reveal an extraordinary trove

of his most private thoughts and feelings and provide a firsthand look at his contentious second act as a free man. here's special contributor troy roberts with "hinckley, diary of a dangerous mind." troy roberts: charming, small town williamsburg, virginia. people visit from all over the world for a taste of america's colonial history. this man came for something more. a new life. one that would be quiet and normal. he volunteers at a church. he plays a lot of music. he goes on walks. troy roberts: but his journey to get here was a long one filled with violence. [gunshots] mental illness, and confinement. this is a violently insane person,

so you need to put him somewhere where he can't harm anybody. troy roberts: no one would guess it now, but this senior citizen casually walking around town is an infamous figure, a man who once tried to kill the president of the united states over a movie star. [gunshots] john hinckley jr. today after being institutionalized for more than three decades, he is pretty much a free man. it was a rainy spring monday in washington, dc, just a few months after ronald reagan was elected president. del wilber: march 30, 1981 is 70 days into reagan's first term and it's a nothing day. he's given a speech at the washington hilton. troy roberts: a nothing day that was about to turn into a day no one would ever forget.

los angeles times reporter del wilber interviewed well over 100 people for his book "rawhide down." rawhide, the secret service codename for president reagan. we're going to convince this city that the power begins and ends with the people. [applause] del wilber: he gives a speech. he's walking out. it's 2:27 pm. judy woodruff: i was part of the press pool, which is the small group of reporters who follow along in the motorcade. troy roberts: pbs newshour anchor and managing editor judy woodruff was the white house correspondent for nbc news. he came out the door and was waving. i remember he raised his arm to wave to people there. troy roberts: 15 feet away was a rope line which separated a small crowd of reporters and bystanders from the president. in that crowd, a sandy blond haired 25 year old named john hinckley jr. moments later.

[gunshots] it sounded like firecrackers. you knew in an instant it couldn't be firecrackers. you then assumed it was a gun. and he unleashes six shots in 1.7 seconds. [gunshots] everybody yell get down, get down. and all i saw was a jumble of people shoving the president and i couldn't tell who else into a car. troy roberts: hinckley seemed to shoot recklessly, almost randomly in reagan's direction. all three networks had camera crews at the event, which later allowed reporters to break down every horrifying moment. first shot hits jim brady in the head. he falls to the ground. he's the presidential press secretary. the second shot hits tom delahanty, a dc police officer, in the back. he falls to the ground. fourth shot hits tim mccarthy, a secret service agent who turned and took a shot in the chest without a bulletproof vest. judy woodruff: i remember yelling in the chaos.

i said, was the president hit? and they said, i don't think so. did you see john hinckley outside of the hotel? i saw police on top of the man. had wrestled him to the ground. and i couldn't really see anything. troy roberts: we looked at footage from that day with del wilber. that's a secret service agent with an uzi. get out of the way! del wilber: and that's hinckley. so they're hustling them over to this car. troy roberts: president reagan's son ron was in lincoln, nebraska when he was told about the shooting. i see across the room a secret service man coming towards me. and he very quietly told my wife and that shots had been fired. they didn't think he was hit. we now have an announcement from the white house. definitely the president was not hit. troy roberts: but inside the presidential limo, a different story was playing out. reagan's increasingly complaining of a pain in his chest, back, and side right here.

it really hurts. and he pulls a napkin out of his right coat pocket that he'd taken from the hilton, a paper napkin, dabs his lips, looks at it, and there's bright, frothy blood. troy roberts: president reagan had been shot, and his life was in danger. wilber explained exactly how he was wounded. del wilber: so we're watching a slow motion replay of the shooting. and right around here, boom, look how close he is. look at the gun. and the way to reagan is clear. and right here the bullet hits right there and gets through that little gap. troy roberts: through the tiny gap created by the open door of the bulletproof car, hitting the president. an incredible fluke. it was hinckley's sixth and final shot. secret service agents raced him to george washington university hospital where doctors found the bullet dangerously close to president reagan's heart. reporter: judy, i'm sorry to interrupt. troy roberts: nbc cut into woodruff's report with the news.

reporter: in front of me now are two bulletins that both say president reagan was shot in the chest. troy roberts: the president was rushed into surgery. meanwhile, the fbi was desperately trying to find out what happened. retired fbi agent thomas baker. we didn't know was this part of a conspiracy? was there going to be other people shot? troy roberts: the answers would be much stranger and more chilling than they could possibly imagine. and it turned out the clues were hiding in plain sight. a nation is rocked as details emerge about the president's precarious condition and the gunman who pulled the trigger. coming up, the first nationally televised interview with the detective who questioned hinckley minutes after the attack. he just seemed a matter of factly like this wasn't really a big deal. did he ask any questions about the condition of the president or mr. brady?

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troy roberts: president reagan and the three men shot near him were all taken to nearby hospitals, some with life threatening injuries. brady had a catastrophic brain injury. mccarthy shot in the liver. delahanty, a bullet lodged near his spine. and the president with one lodged only an inch from his heart. how close did he come to dying? reagan came within a couple of minutes of dying. troy roberts: meanwhile, the man who shot them was in the custody of the washington, dc police. retired homicide detective eddie myers was the first person to question hinckley. more than 38 years since that day, this was his first national television interview. eddie myers: he looked like a college student. he just didn't seem to fit the profile of what i thought a presidential assassin would be like. what was john hinckley's demeanor when you were about to begin your interview?

he just seemed a matter of factly like this wasn't really a big deal. troy roberts: myers said hinckley told him his name, his parents' address, and the room number at the hotel where he had been staying. he also assured the detective he acted alone. did you ask him that question directly? yes, i did. something to that effect, are you by yourself? and he responded i'm with no one. did he ask any questions about the condition of the president or mr. brady? no, he never did. he never seemed concerned. no remorse? no remorse at all. troy roberts: desperate for any clue or evidence that could explain the motive for the shooting, myers searched hinckley's wallet and found photos. eddie myers: i noticed three or four of them from magazines i think they were. did you ask them who this person was? yeah. troy roberts: and what did he say? he says you'll find out when you get to read the letter in my room. troy roberts: at that point, myers said hinckley shut

down and refused to say more. what struck him most was that hinckley seemed arrogant, almost smug. eddie myers: i said, you're going to be charged with attempted assassination of the president of the united states. and as i'm writing this in my notes, i'm having a hard time spelling assassination. and he says, i'll spell it for you. troy roberts: soon after, hinckley was turned over to the fbi. and by evening, word of hinckley's arrest was public. reporter: the man who fired the shots today has been identified as john warnock hinckley of evergreen, colorado. i'm thinking to myself, that is so weird that the guy who shot the president has the same name as my friend john hinckley. troy roberts: as kids, evan price, kurt dooley, and will francis were friends with hinckley, growing up in the same wealthy texas suburb. they didn't believe the shooter was their john until they heard where he went to school. evan price: i was in disbelief.

i thought to myself, i know this guy. friendly person, good natured person. this can't be happening. troy roberts: it was hard for all of them to square the known for more than a decade. evan price: yeah, look how happy he looks. kurt dooley: he is handsome and happy and looks great. will francis: here's john. troy roberts: they met hinckley in the '60s and bonded over sports and music. will francis: he was a very well liked guy. we would go to record shops, music stores, places to have a burger. troy roberts: at home, john hinckley was the youngest of three, his father, jack, the owner of an oil and gas business. his friends say the family seemed perfect, straight out of the tv classic "leave it to beaver." will francis: i would spend the night over there and it was a great family. and she was just june cleaver. and his dad was more like ward. troy roberts: so what changed for the kid who grew up with everything?

back in washington, the fbi was wondering the same thing. that night, agents were at the park central hotel where hinckley had been staying. we executed a search warrant of his hotel room. troy roberts: thomas baker was the agent in charge and oversaw the search. thomas baker: there on the desk we found the letter, the statement of why he was doing this. troy roberts: the letter revealed that hinckley didn't try to kill the president for political reasons. he did it because of a dark and twisted obsession with a woman. hinckley's bombshell motive thrusts a young hollywood actress into the spotlight, while those close to the president are left reeling. coming up, raw pain for the reagan family and hinckley's fixation on actress jodie foster. the letters were assumed to have been love type letters. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues.

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troy roberts: as night fell over the capital, learn more today. the nation could finally breathe a sigh of relief. president reagan tonight is reported in stable and good condition. troy roberts: mccarthy, brady, and delahanty also survived surgery, some miraculously. del wilber: brady's surgery was very delicate and very complicated. and it took the doctor all day to stop the bleeding

and hemorrhaging and get the bullet fragments out of brady's brain. troy roberts: the public still had no idea why john hinckley tried to kill president reagan. even the president's family hadn't been told anything. his son ron struggled with his anger. somebody shoots your father and you're a 22 year old guy, your first thought is, let me get my hands on this son of a bitch. troy roberts: were you thinking, what would drive john hinckley to want to kill my father? well, you figure it's either some sort of political motive or he's just crazy. troy roberts: but fbi agents who had found that letter in hinckley's hotel room were learning his motives weren't at all political. hinckley was fueled by an obsession with actress jodie foster. the letter was written to her. john hinckley (voiceover): dear jodie, there is a definite possibility that i will be killed in my attempt to get reagan. it is for this very reason that i am writing you this letter now.

troy roberts: retired fbi agent thomas baker. he explained he was doing this great act of love to impress her and win her heart. john hinckley (voiceover): i've got to do something now to make you understand in no uncertain terms that i am doing all of this for your sake. troy roberts: the fbi needed to talk to foster. when agents arrived at yale university, where she was a student, the actress was visibly upset. she told them that hinckley started writing her soon after she arrived on campus the previous fall and hadn't stopped. interviewer: was he threatening? what was he like? i'm not allowed to say. troy roberts: foster held a press conference a few days later. the letters were assumed to have been love type letters. interviewer: have you ever seen hinckley, that you know of? no, i've never-- not to my knowledge. i've never met him. troy roberts: the fbi learned hinckley had told his parents he was attending a yale writer's program, but that was a lie. del wilber: he wasn't in any writers program. he was there living in a hotel and stalking jodie foster.

and was slipping notes under her door, love notes. troy roberts: this note was left for her just weeks before the shooting. john hinckley (voiceover): jodie, goodbye. i love you 6 trillion times. don't you maybe like me just a little bit? you must admit i am different. it would make all of this worthwhile. troy roberts: when did his obsession with jodie foster begin? del wilber: 1976. he was in la trying to be a songwriter, failing at it, and he saw the movie "taxi driver." he saw it more than a dozen times. remember, she plays a prostitute, an adolescent prostitute in the movie. and he became obsessed with her. troy roberts: robert de niro played the main character, travis bickle, a socially awkward taxi driver who plans to kill a presidential candidate. del wilber: he completely identified with bickle. he thought that he was going to shoot reagan and die in a hail of secret service bullets just as bickle thought he would. troy roberts: but investigators quickly discovered hinckley considered other options first,

like hijacking a plane and even killing the woman he claimed to love. del wilber: his plan was to kill jodie foster, shoot her, shoot himself, or kill himself in front of her. troy roberts: hinckley's lawyers thought all of this could be the basis of an insanity defense. reporter: dr. carpenter was excused-- troy roberts: and they hired psychiatrist william carpenter in the hopes that he'd provide testimony that would convince a jury. carpenter met with hinckley for months and charted his unraveling. what was his relationship like with his parents? there wasn't anything that seemed like childhood neglect or trauma. troy roberts: but carpenter learned hinckley started to withdraw from friends in high school and then completely isolated himself in college. his parents were worried and took him to see a psychiatrist, who told them hinckley was simply immature and needed tough love. william carpenter: more than once

they'd kind of cut him off. troy roberts: the strategy backfired. hinckley's hopelessness showed in his poems, songs, and journals. william carpenter: there are kind of dark anticipatory things in it. and it's certainly compatible with an unhappy and lonely life. troy roberts: in hinckley's poem "guns are fun," the foreshadowing of the shooting is clear. john hinckley (voiceover): if i wish, the president will fall and the world will look at me in disbelief. troy roberts: by the end of his evaluation, carpenter concluded hinckley was legally insane. his official diagnosis? in the diagnostic codes that we used, the most suitable one would be schizophrenia. troy roberts: but could the defense convince a jury? the prosecution had their own experts and planned to argue hinckley was perfectly sane. he was legally sane because he knew it was wrong. [gunshots] because he knew he was shooting at humans in a way

that could harm them. troy roberts: the trial would be a seven week battle of the experts over whether hinckley was sane or not. potential answers to that question were buried in a remarkable diary that hinckley wrote and that "dateline" uncovered. andrea canning: coming up. thomas baker: we recovered news footage of carter at different rallies in the fall during the election where hinckley's in the crowd. andrea canning: evidence that ronald reagan wasn't hinckley's only target. troy roberts: john hinckley had plans to kill president jimmy carter? yes. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues. [coughing] copd isn't pretty. i'm out of breath, and often out of the picture. but this is my story. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful.

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13 hostages kidnapped by hamas are expect today be released into israeli custody later today. president biden says his fingers crossed that an american girl whose parents were killed in the october 7th attack will be among the first hostages released. today is her fourth birthday. and now back to "dateline." and now back to "dateline. i'm andrea canning. john hinckley jr. shot president reagan in a twisted attempt to impress actress jodie foster. his state of mind was a hotly debated topic. we now have new insight from hinckley himself thanks to an astonishing document written in his own hand that after all these years is seeing the light of day. here again is troy roberts with "hinckley, diary of a dangerous mind." troy roberts: on the night he was arrested, hours after trying to kill the president, john hinckley began to keep a diary. john hinckley (voiceover): march 30, 1981.

rushed to dc police headquarters. spent three hours handcuffed to desk. troy roberts: he would continue writing in it for 14 months up to and through his trial. uncovered by "dateline," the diary is a remarkable insight into hinckley's troubled mind. john hinckley (voiceover): i have such an empty, sad feeling. where are you, jodie? troy roberts: hinckley titled it, "the diary of a person we all know." at times, it's a chronicle of despair. john hinckley (voiceover): why go on? i'm immortally infamous, equal to john wilkes booth, but i've had enough. troy roberts: days after that entry, hinckley tried to take his own life, his second attempt. after he recovered, he seemed to have a moment of clarity about the shooting. john hinckley (voiceover): there are many times when i thoroughly regret the incident and then many times when i think about what i have accomplished and feel satisfied. troy roberts: but by the spring of 1982, hinckley seemed ready, almost giddy for the nation

to hear his story. john hinckley (voiceover): everyone is excited now. i'm a little excited. let's get it on. it will be a miracle and nothing short of a miracle if i am found not guilty. troy roberts: a year had passed since the shooting, but the damage hinckley caused was still fresh in people's minds. he could have changed the course of history. absolutely. this foolish, unstable young man could have changed the course of history. troy roberts: president reagan and secret service agent mccarthy took weeks to fully recover from their injuries, while officer delahanty suffered permanent nerve damage that forced him to retire early. but it was james brady who suffered the most. his brain injuries caused permanent paralysis and severe challenges for the remainder of his life. as testimony began, both sides knew the defense had the advantage. the law stated they didn't have to prove a thing.

nbc news legal analyst danny cevallos. danny cevallos: at the time of the hinckley trial, the prosecution had the burden to prove each and every element of the crime, including the defendant's sanity. troy roberts: the prosecution began by showing jurors footage of the shooting. [gunshots] they argued hinckley was not mentally ill when he pulled the trigger. just a sad, narcissistic loner fixated on achieving worldwide fame. lead psychiatrist dr. park dietz. he told me that his goal was to be on the cover of "time magazine." troy roberts: and hinckley's fixation on the film "taxi driver," prosecutors argued it didn't mean he was insane. the movie's plot was merely inspirational. he was already interested in committing some high profile crime. he fell upon "taxi driver" and he did try to imitate aspects of it.

troy roberts: and his diary revealed hinckley thought the trial was the perfect stage for his story. john hinckley (voiceover): jodie, jodie, everyone in the whole wide world knows about us. i think what i did was worth it. troy roberts: in the courtroom, prosecutors argued hinckley knew exactly what he was doing when he shot the president, that it was a premeditated plan months in the making and originally with a different target. he actually had been stalking the previous president, jimmy carter. troy roberts: in the fall of 1980, hinckley bought guns, went target shooting, and followed carter on the campaign trail. we recovered news footage of carter at different rallies in the fall during the election where hinckley is in the crowd. troy roberts: john hinckley had plans to kill president jimmy carter? yes. and it just never worked out for him. so then he switched his attention to president reagan after he became president. troy roberts: when it was the defense team's turn,

they told jurors hinckley did not understand these violent actions were wrong because his judgment was impaired by schizophrenic delusions. william carpenter: the only meaningful thing in his life is his delusional attachment with jodie foster. troy roberts: dr. carpenter testified hinckley created an entire fantasy world where that attachment could exist. he developed this grandiose view of jodie and him as a couple. he thought, this is something that everybody should know about. killing carter, killing reagan. he needed something that would call attention to this. troy roberts: and his attempts to connect with foster were his way of trying to convince her they were meant to be. the defense had jurors listen to a phone call hinckley recorded between himself and the actress.

jodie foster did not appear at trial, but her testimony was videotaped weeks earlier. hinckley was present for it and for the first time came face to face with the object of his obsession. only a transcript was released to the media. how would you describe your relationship with john hinckley? i don't have any relationship with john hinckley. her words infuriated him. in his diary that night, he wrote that he threw a pen at her and shouted, "jodie, i'm still going to kill you." he went on to write. john hinckley (voiceover): oh my god, what have i done? i'm insane, aren't i? i went too far this morning. everyone is angry with me. jodie hates me. i'm so famous, but i'm so damn miserable. troy roberts: would the jury find hinckley a calculating

would be killer or a madman who couldn't tell right from wrong? reporter: why did you render the decision you did? troy roberts: their verdict could leave the nation outraged. andrea canning: coming up. troy roberts: you were confident the jurors were going to see things your way? yes, i didn't for a moment think it could be otherwise. andrea canning: the jury speaks. danny cevallos: to say america was shocked by the hinckley verdict is an understatement. andrea canning: and then hinckley makes a connection with a serial killer. when "dateline" continues.

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and find your voice. troy roberts: the jury in the john hinckley jr. case was sequestered, deliberating for days, with no sign of a verdict. despite the wait, the prosecution's lead psychiatrist wasn't worried. you were confident the jurors were going to see things your way. yes, i didn't for a moment think it could be otherwise. troy roberts: by the fourth day, the verdict was in. the verdict on john hinckley, not guilty by reason of insanity, turned the country upside down today, unleashing anger, outrage, disbelief, but very little praise. park dietz: i was shocked. we could not wrap our heads around how a jury could get it so wrong. to say america was shocked by the hinckley verdict is an understatement. they were furious. i think the outcome so far was outrageous.

troy roberts: but not everyone was up in arms. surprisingly, president reagan had found peace with hinckley. ron reagan: my father had forgiven him already long before. within a day or so of being shot, he had forgiven. within a day or so? yes. my mother, on the other hand, she'd have killed him if she could have gotten her hands on him. but my father had forgiven him already. he just said that he knew he had to. troy roberts: hinckley celebrated the verdict in the final entry of his diary. john hinckley (voiceover): no one can believe it. it's all over. i'm not responsible for shooting the president and three others. what must jodie foster be thinking right now? troy roberts: but the verdict didn't mean hinckley was completely off the hook. danny cevallos: you're going to a treatment facility and only when you are better will you be released. troy roberts: hinckley was sent to saint elizabeth's hospital in washington, dc, one of the oldest

psychiatric institutions in the country, and put on an intense regimen of counseling and medication, including antipsychotic drugs. over time he seemed to change, and part of the reason for that was a woman. john and leslie met at a halloween party. troy roberts: leslie deveau was her name, and she was a fellow patient at saint elizabeth's. writer elsa walsh interviewed deveau years later for "the new yorker magazine" about her romantic relationship with hinckley. leslie deveau was described by neighbors and families and friends, even her ex-husband, as a wonderful, perfect mother, and she had killed her child. troy roberts: deveau was also found not guilty by reason of insanity for her horrifying crime and sent to the psychiatric hospital. today the old grounds are closed, buildings abandoned. what was it like when you came here the first time?

you know, it was clearly very different from it is now. you didn't have a lot of broken windows. but leslie and john used to communicate from a window of not this building but a very similar one, three floors up where he was. troy roberts: deveau was more than a decade older than hinckley and like him came from an upper middle class background and was educated. when they met, deveau didn't know who hinckley was. and when he told her, she didn't care. elsa walsh: she said to me, what i did was so much worse than what john did. i killed my child. reporter: they found young erin dead in an upstairs bedroom of the family home. troy roberts: one morning, deveau had taken her husband's shotgun, shot and killed her 10 year old daughter erin as she slept, then shot herself. deveau's injuries were so severe, doctors had to amputate her left arm. she told walsh she never understood people's shock over her love for hinckley.

so when people sort of wonder why would i have a relationship with him, why would he have a relationship with me? troy roberts: in the beginning, they left secret notes for each other in the cafeteria, talked at chaperone events, or by the window. but by the following year, hinckley was in love and did something no one ever expected. he proposed. and deveau accepted. walsh says they became each other's confidants, hinckley trusting her with his darkest moments. elsa walsh: she said he went through this terrible period of feeling enormous shame and guilt. how's it going? going well today? elsa walsh: particularly when he would see brady, the press secretary who he'd shot. troy roberts: after three years of treatment, deveau was released from saint elizabeth's, but got a job at the hospital, so hinckley still saw her regularly. the staff at the mental hospital condoned this relationship, even supported it.

initially yes they did, because they saw it as a healthy growth. troy roberts: but the staff learned hinckley was also in an astonishing relationship with someone else, a relationship that raised serious questions about his progress. it was the notorious serial killer and rapist, ted bundy, who was on death row in florida. bundy sent this letter to hinckley. ted bundy (voiceover): dear john, i think we've got something going here john. it's always a pleasure to find someone i feel comfortable writing. troy roberts: the secret service discovered hinckley started the correspondence and the two men had been writing each other for months. hinckley wrote this one to bundy. john hinckley (voiceover): dear ted, i read about your new death order. it really upsets me, because i'm against the death penalty, and i value you as a friend. troy roberts: doctors became more concerned after learning hinckley still seemed to be obsessed with jodie foster

and had some 20 photos of her in his room. he'd also considered writing to convicted killer charles manson and did receive a letter from manson disciple lynette "squeaky" fromme, who tried to assassinate president gerald ford in 1975. despite the letters, after four years, the hospital trusted hinckley enough to let him leave his building and roam the grounds freely. he and deveau were still engaged and could walk outside together and have privacy. elsa walsh: she said they went up to this little spot on a hill. they didn't have sex the first time there, but she said soon after that, they did. and she said-- on the ground? on the ground. troy roberts: just a few years later, hinckley went to court to make a bid for more freedom. but would a judge allow a man who stalked two presidents and tried to kill one of them back into society? ron reagan: well, he shouldn't be allowed to just roam around all on his lonesome

out there. he's a potentially dangerous character. he's proven that. andrea canning: coming up, the eye popping gated community where hinckley proposed to live. thomas baker: who's played on that tee as people like president barack obama, former president clinton, and this fellow is only 50 feet away. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues. [coughing] copd hasn't been pretty. it's tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups. and with one dose a day, trelegy improves lung function so i can breathe more freely all day and night.

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troy roberts: in 1997, john hinckley jr. was back in court, this time fighting for a bit of freedom. he spent 15 years at a psychiatric hospital and believed he was a changed man. his parents believed it too. john's whole demeanor has changed, and he's a more open, loving person. troy roberts: to them, hinckley was no criminal. he was being treated for mental illness and deserved compassion. mr. hinckley: he wasn't a sniper on a rooftop or a religious fanatic. he was just a pathetic figure trying to impress a movie star he never met. troy roberts: after so many years of treatment, he wanted permission to visit his family off hospital grounds. hinckley's doctors told the court his psychosis and depression were in remission and had been for years. william carpenter: i think what they observed is that he was less preoccupied

with the psychotic delusions. troy roberts: but federal prosecutors didn't buy it. they believed hinckley was still a threat to society and had evidence to prove it. a hospital pharmacist complained that hinckley was stalking her. elsa walsh: he would go over to her office and they'd chat and talk. and then he started bugging her. he'd come every day or he'd call. troy roberts: the judge denied hinckley's requests and he lost any chance of leaving the hospital grounds for a long time. but by 2003, he had stayed out of trouble for years and his doctors felt he was ready to inch back into society. del wilber: they began gradually one day out in the city. troy roberts: by 2006, hinckley's treatment team had recommended he be allowed to stay with his parents for days at a time, and the court agreed. del wilber: the goal at saint elizabeth's hospital is to rehabilitate, so they have no justification

to keep really holding him. troy roberts: but not everyone was happy about hinckley's increasing freedom. the house his parents had retired to was in an upscale gated community in williamsburg, virginia overlooking the 13th hole of the king's mill championship golf course. when we sat down with retired fbi agent thomas baker, he told us that concerned the secret service. thomas baker: in the past few years, who's played on that tee is people like president barack obama, former president clinton. i mean, these are the people who play golf in williamsburg. and this fellow is only 50 feet away. troy roberts: despite federal prosecutors' continued protests, the judge followed saint elizabeth's recommendations and granted hinckley more and more time with his parents, time that no longer included his fiancee leslie deveau. after 22 years, the relationship was over.

do you know why the relationship ended? elsa walsh: being identified publicly as his girlfriend was very hard for her. the secret service was always coming to her door. it became just too much. troy roberts: hinckley's focus was now solely on being permanently released from saint elizabeth's. and in 2016, a judge granted his request. the man who attempted to assassinate president ronald reagan is now free from a mental hospital after decades. troy roberts: hinckley's father had died, so he would live with his 90 year old mother, at least for a year. not all of hinckley's new neighbors were convinced that was a good idea. bring him here and put him under the care of his 90 year old mother. it seems to me to be a pretty foolish decision. troy roberts: timothy mccarthy, the secret service agent who took a bullet shielding president reagan, was also skeptical. we know medicine is not an exact science. few things are.

so i just hope they're right. i'm a layperson. i'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist. but it doesn't seem to me like people with these kind of severe mental problems are ever really truly cured. troy roberts: still, hinckley wasn't completely free. the secret service would keep an eye on him, and there was a long list of court mandated rules he had to follow, among them therapy, medication, limited travel, no media interviews or contact with his victims' relatives or jodie foster. but ron reagan was still concerned. ron reagan: my worry is that his narcissistic personality disorder will be affronted by somebody. he will not get the respect or attention that he feels that he's owed, and he will act out again in some violent way. troy roberts: today there is greater awareness and empathy for those who suffer from mental illness.

but insanity defense laws have become much stricter. danny cevallos: states were in a rush to change their insanity defenses after the hinckley trial. some got rid of the defense altogether. some states instituted guilty but mentally ill. troy roberts: in federal court, the burden of proof now has shifted to the defense team, who must prove the defendant is insane. if hinckley were tried under the new law, many believe he would be convicted. do you know what he's doing with himself? yeah, no, he volunteers out of church. goes on walks. he's established a bunch of friends over time. troy roberts: he also got a job of sorts buying and selling antiques at a local mall. and it appears found romance again. i trust the doctors and the people who've been treating him. i trust their decision. troy roberts: hinckley's childhood friends believe he's earned a second chance and wish him well.

i don't expect we'll see him at our high school reunion. but if we did, i'd welcome him. troy roberts: but president reagan's son believes a man who tried to assassinate the president, even if found insane, should never go free. ron reagan: i don't dispute that he was insane when he did what he did. but the crime that he committed was not just a crime against another person. it was also a crime against the state. the penalty has to be drastic and, i would say, permanent. troy roberts: in 2020, the court relaxed the conditions of hinckley's release even further. among his new freedoms, he was now able to publicly display his artwork and publish music using his own name. as he eased into a more normal life, hinckley seemed content. during one of his mental health evaluations, he told doctors, "this is the happiest

i've been in my life. i'm happy as a clam, to be honest. i really am." in 2022, a federal judge concluded that hinckley's mental illness was in full remission and granted his unconditional release. it was a new chapter in the life of john w. hinckley jr. who four decades after shooting an american president appeared at peace with his past. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching.