Judge Keeps Hinckley on Short Leash When Free

A federal judge Wednesday denied a request from presidential assailant John Hinckley Jr. to spend several days at a time away from a mental hospital.

But U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman said the man who shot President Reagan can continue making shorter, overnight visits with his parents without supervision, despite objections from prosecutors who wanted those visits stopped.

Under the ruling, Hinckley can take up to six, 32-hour visits with his parents at a hotel in the Washington area, with hospital assessments required after each visit. Hinckley had sought permission to stay four nights at his parents’ home in Williamsburg, Va., every two weeks.

Officials at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington had suggested instead that Hinckley be allowed to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas at his family’s home before being granted regular visits. Federal prosecutors opposed both plans.

Barry Levine, Hinckley’s lawyer, was unavailable for comment, his secretary said.

Hinckley, 49, has lived at the hospital since he was acquitted in 1982 by reason of insanity in the shootings of Reagan and three others. Hinckley said he shot Reagan to impress actress Jodie Foster.

He has taken six daylong visits and two overnight visits in the Washington area since last year, all without incident.

Secret Service agents monitor Hinckley during each trip outside the hospital. Friedman’s ruling requires hospital officials to submit a detailed itinerary to the court and the government at least two weeks before each excursion by Hinckley.

During a five-day hearing this month, government lawyers contended Hinckley had a troubling relationship with his former girlfriend, Leslie deVeau, that must be resolved before he could be allowed to take more unsupervised visits. Citing Hinckley’s obsession with Foster, prosecutors said he had a “pathology regarding his perception of relationships with women.”