The man who shot Reagan will get his freedom in 2022 if he maintains good conduct

John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate then-US President Ronald Reagan in 1981, could be released unconditionally next year following the approval of this measure by a federal judge on Monday.

Washington District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman said during a 90-minute hearing that he will issue his ruling on the matter later this week.

The condition for the 66-year-old Hinckley Jr. to be released is that he follows the rules and shows mental stability.

for the next nine months, according to the news agency The Associated Press (AP).

Hinckley has been living in Williamsburg, Virginia, outside a mental health facility for the past several years, with a gradual decrease in medical supervision.

Since 2016, court-imposed restrictions have forced him to have psychiatric therapy, as doctors and therapists supervise his medication.

Hinckley was 25 years old when he shot and wounded the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.Evan Vucci / AP

The public radio station NPR indicates that his lawyer, Barry Wm.

Levine said the "momentous event" of Hinckley's possible full release next June is appropriate and required by law.

Hinckley was 25 years old when he shot and wounded the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, outside a Washington hotel

.

The shooting paralyzed Reagan's press secretary James Brady, who died in 2014. Hinckley also wounded Secret Service agent Timothy McCarth and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty.

What does Jodie Foster think of all this?

Hinckley had acknowledged that he shot these men to impress actress Jodie Foster and "win her heart," as The Independent newspaper recalls.

He had become obsessed with her after seeing her in the movie

Taxi Driver

and harassed her for a time.

Following the announcement of her possible release, some users on Twitter have recalled what happened to Foster and wondered what she will think about this news and if she will be safe.

In 1982, jurors ruled that Hinckley was suffering from acute psychosis, found him not guilty on grounds of insanity, and indicated that he needed treatment and not life imprisonment.

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Five years ago, NPR reports, the court granted her convalescent leave to live full-time in the community and Hinckley went to live with her mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.

She died this summer at the age of 95.

A 2020 violence risk assessment by the Washington Department of Mental Health concluded that

Hinckley would not pose a danger if unconditionally released.

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Hinckley is prohibited from owning a weapon.

Nor can he approach or have contact with Reagan's children or other victims or their families.