What should happen to people who try to assassinate sitting U.S. presidents? Most people can probably agree that they shouldn’t leading lives of luxury, but that’s exactly what has happened to would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley, Jr.
From the Daily Caller:
The man responsible for shooting then-President Ronald Reagan spends much of his time in a posh, gated resort residence near Virginia’s scenic James River located just outside of Williamsburg.
John Hinckley Jr., 60, could observe the 35th anniversary Wednesday of his attempted assassination of Reagan from a luxurious community astride the 13th hole of a PGA championship golf course, complete with a picturesque view of a tranquil lake, an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation has found.
“This is absolutely so wrong. To let this guy go free. He almost killed the 40th President of the United States, coming within an inch of his heart,” Jim Kuhn, top executive assistant to Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan throughout their eight years in the White House, told TheDCNF.
Hinckley shot Reagan, press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and police officer Thomas Delahanty March 30, 1981, outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. All survived, but Brady was left permanently disabled for life and died in 2014.
… Hinckley resided full-time in a mental treatment facility from 1982 until 2006 when Federal Judge Paul Friedman, a Clinton appointee, began steadily relaxing Hinckley’s unsupervised visits to the exclusive enclave in recent years.
In Friedman’s latest order, issued in February 2014, he ruled Hinckley could stay in the community on eight occasions during the year for 17 days at a time with “unsupervised outings lasting up to four hours each outside his mother’s housing subdivision, for social, recreational, shopping, and dining activities.”
The judge spoke approvingly that Hinckley “visits stores, restaurants, and other attractions with family members or alone; takes solitary walks in his mother’s neighborhood; and spends time alone in the family home working on art, music, or other pursuits.”
TheDCNF recently spent a weekend at the upscale residential community. Hinckley’s world today revolves around 2,900-acres of beautiful residential property called “Kingsmill on the James,” where his mother lives. Kingsmill features million-dollar mansions, three championship golf courses, a marina, recreation centers with outdoor pools and tennis, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and jet skiing. New homes fetch up to $2 million.
The gunman’s lawyers, citing his “constitutional rights,” now are asking the court to allow Hinckley to live full-time in Kingsmill where his 90-year old mother resides in a cul-de-sac called “Yeardly’s Grant.” Friedman’s ruling is expected at any time.
… When he’s in Kingsmill, the court currently permits Hinckley twice each day to take two-hour, unaccompanied walks along seven miles of Kingsmill’s wooded jogging trails and bike paths. Multiple people told TheDCNF of seeing Hinckley walking on the scenic trail wearing head phones. He shops at Target, Best Buy and J.C. Penney, according to court records.
Hinckley’s mother’s house sits astride the 13th hole of Kingsmill’s premier PGA championship golf course, the River Golf Course.
The Hinckley home has two decks on the back facing Kingsmill Pond; sought-after properties in the neighborhood. Next to the residential part of the community is Kingsmill Resort. All residents, including Hinckley, can get into the resort by driving a short distance from their homes. New residents must pay a $10,000 initiation fee to enjoy the resort’s marina, pools, restaurants and spa. A $30,000 initiation fee is required to join the golf club and the three courses.
This year a women’s LPGA championship tour is scheduled for a Mother’s Day tournament on Kingsmill’s River Course. Women golfers will have to walk through Hinckley’s backyard to get to the 13th hole.
Hinckley has had trouble with women, over which he originally suffered psychotic delusions. He shot Reagan to “impress” actress Jodie Foster. The LPGA offered no comment when asked by TheDCNF about the proximity of the course to the Hinckley home.
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