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 s a new chapter in the life of john hinckley junior, who four decades after shooting an american president, appears at peace with his past. that s all for this edition of dateline. i m natalie morales. thank you for watching. as we begin a new, hour i weekend highlighting the pro
with his parents. time that no longer included his fiancée, leslie deveau. after 22 years, the relationship was over. do you know why the relationship ended? being identified publicly as his girlfriend was very hard for her. the secret service was always coming to her door. it became too much. hinckley s focus was now solely on being permanently released from saint elizabeth s. 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. 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 in the care of his 90-year-old mother seems like a foolish decision. timothy mccarthy, the secret
facility. only when you are better would you be released. hinckley was sent to st. elizabeth s hospital in washington d. c., one of the oldest psychiatric institutions of the country. he was put on an intense regiment of counseling and medication, including antipsychotic drugs. overtime, he seemed to change and part of the reason for that was a woman. john and leslie met at a halloween party. leslie deval was her name. she was a fellow patient at st. elizabeth. writer elsa walsh interviewed them for the magazine about her romantic relationship with frankly. leslie deval was described by neighbors, family, friends, and her ex husband as a wonderful and perfect mother. she had killed her child. deval was also found not guilty by reason of insanity for her horrifying crime. she was sent to the psychiatric hospital.
Recently uncovered pages from John Hinckley Jr. s diary, which he began writing after he was arrested for trying to assassinate President Ronald Reagan; an.
suspects in custody, monterey park about ten minutes east of population, with a population of 60,000 people. more on this developing story. now, back to dateline. developing story. now, back to dateline. welcome back to dateline. i m natalie morales. john hinckley junior 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 but, that after all these years is seeing the light of day. here again is troy roberts with hinckley, the diary of a dangerous mind. but on the night he was arrested, hours after trying to kill the president, john hinckley began to keep a diary but. march 30th, spent three hours handcuff to desk. he would continue writing in