United States v. Hinckley

OPINION

PAUL L. FRIEDMAN, United States District Judge

In 1981, John W. Hinckley, Jr. was a profoundly troubled twenty-five-year-old young man suffering from active and acute psychosis and major depression. His mental condition had gradually worsened over the preceding years — beginning as early as 1976 — ultimately resulting in a deep obsession with the actress Jodie Foster and the film Taxi Driver. Mr. Hinckley began to identify with the main character in the film, Travis Bickle, who unsuccessfully plots to assassinate a presidential candidate in order to win the affections of a young woman.…