Ronald Reagan's Daughter Slams Release of John Hinckley Jr.: 'I Will Forever Be Haunted'
Former President Ronald Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, shared an emotional open letter on Wednesday addressing the release of her father's would-be assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., from a government psychiatric hospital.
"I'm not surprised by this latest development, but my heart is sickened," Davis wrote on her website. "When my father was lying in a hospital bed recovering from the gunshots that nearly killed him, he said, 'I know my ability to heal depends on my willingness to forgive John Hinckley.' I too believe in forgiveness. But forgiving someone in your heart doesn't mean that you let them loose in Virginia to pursue whatever dark agendas they may still hold dear."
NEWS: Reagan Shooter John Hinckley Jr. Released to Home Stay
Hinckley, who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, will be released no sooner than Aug. 5 from the St. Elizabeth's mental hospital in Washington, D.C.,where he has been in treatment since the shooting, according to CBS News.
Davis went on to criticize Hinckley's lawyers and team of doctors that believe "his psychosis and depression have been in remission for decades and his narcissistic personality disorder has lessened ... quite a feat since narcissistic personality disorder is considered incurable."
Hinckley, 61, will be sent to live with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, and must carry a GPS enabled phone whenever he is away from his mother's home, but no tracking devices will be installed in his cars. He must also notify his treatment team before going to any private residences.
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"I will forever be haunted by a drizzly March afternoon when my father almost died, when Jim Brady lay in a pool of blood and two other men -- Thomas Delahanty and Timothy McCarthy -- were gravely wounded," Davis, 63, continued. "If John Hinckley is haunted by anything, I think it's that he didn't succeed in his mission to assassinate the President."
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute also weighed in on the recent ruling on Wednesday.
"John Hinckley is responsible for the shooting of President Reagan and three other brave men," read a statement released by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, obtained by ET. "One died two years ago from the wounds he received. Contrary to the judge's decision, we believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others and we strongly oppose his release. They are all lives that matter dearly to us."
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