The upcoming release of John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot President Ronald Reagan, will create a first in American history: There will soon be three would-be presidential assassins free. Their presence is a reminder of an earlier, turbulent era.
The upcoming release of John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot President Ronald Reagan, will create a first in American history: There will soon be three would-be presidential assassins free. Their presence is a reminder of an earlier, turbulent era.
LYNETTE ‘SQUEAKY’ FROMME
Assassination attempt
Fromme pointed a loaded gun on President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 5, 1975, while Ford was en route to a meeting with California Gov. Jerry Brown at the Capitol. Ford was walking through a crowd when he saw Fromme move her hand toward him. Secret Service agents pounced on Fromme and hauled Ford away to safety.
Trial
Ford became the first president to testify in a criminal trial. Fromme was convicted of attempted assassination of a president and sentenced to life in prison.
Release
Fromme became eligible for parole in 1985. Fromme had the option of waiving her rights to a hearing, which she did that year. She briefly escaped in 1987. She came up for parole again in 2008 and was released a year later.
Now
Fromme has kept a low profile. After her release she moved to Marcy, N.Y., to live with her boyfriend, according to Inside Edition.
SARA JANE MOORE
Assassination attempt
Just 17 days after Fromme’s attempt on Ford’s life, Moore waited with a loaded revolver outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, where Ford was staying. When Ford appeared, she raised her arm, ready to fire.
Oliver Sipple, a former Marine standing next to her, saw the weapon and deflected her arm just as the gun went off. The bullet sailed over the president’s head. He was uninjured.
Trial
Moore’s lawyers were preparing a defense related to her mental illness, but she pleaded guilty against their advice. She was given a life sentence with a possibility of parole.
Release
Moore was paroled in 2007 after 32 years in a low-security federal prison for women in Dublin, Calif. Her parole was grandfathered by federal laws that have since been tightened.
Now
In 2015, Moore was interviewed by CNN remotely, her location listed only as North Carolina. She is now 86 years old.
JOHN HINCKLEY JR.
Assassination attempt
Hinckley stalked President Jimmy Carter before focusing on Reagan after he took office in January 1981. Hinckley shot Reagan, along with three other people, two months later, March 30, as the president left the Washington Hilton Hotel after delivering a speech. Trial
In 1982, a jury found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity. The verdict caused Congress to tighten laws on using insanity as a defense.
Release
Hinckley was never imprisoned but has spent the last 34 years in a mental institution. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman signed an order for Hinckley’s release from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on Aug. 5.
Now
Hinckley, 61, must notify the Secret Service and therapists of his whereabouts at all times, receive psychotherapy and refrain from contacting Reagan’s descendants or Foster, among others. He is barred from giving interviews.