John Hinckley, Jr.

Who is John Hinckley, Jr.?

John Warnock Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington D.C., on March 30, 1981, as the culmination of an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster, reported to have been driven by an erotomanic fixation on her. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since then, though with progressively longer visits to the home of his parents. Public outcry over the verdict led to the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984. This changed the role of mental illness in court proceedings.