The Daily Texan
[article]
University Of Texas At Austin, Austin, The University Of Texas At
2022
Twenty-Five Cents Jury acquits Hinckley on all counts WASHINGTON (U P I) -A federal jury found John W. Hinckley Jr. innocent by reason of insanity Monday in the shooting attack that nearly killed President Reagan and crip pled White House press secretary Jim Brady. Hinckley, whose exploding bullets also cut down a police man and a Secret Service agent, was remanded to the custody of U.S. marshals and will be taken within days to St. Eliza beth's mental institution in Washington for an
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... peri od. The 27-year-old defendant clasped his hands, then wiped tears from his eyes with both hands as U.S. District Judge Barrington Parker read the verdict for each of the 13 crim i nal counts stemming from the shooting spree outside a Wash ington hotel. " Not guilty by reason of insanity," the judge repeated, again and again The verdict was a shocking and dramatic end to a 15-month legal battle that cost more than $3 million. The crime itselfwitnessed by millions through television replays -was never at issue, only Hinckley's state of mind. It was the first time in 150 years that a jury has acquitted a presidential assailant on insanity grounds. Hinckley's com plex defense for the eight-week trial cost about $1 million and the jury's decision is certain to trigger new controversy over the use of the insanity defense. Hinckley's father, Jack Hinckley, an Evergreen. Colo., oil man, put his hand on his head and his mouth dropped open in astonishment. Then the elder Hinckley, a religious man, bowed his head as though to pray. Hinckley's mother, JoAnn, burst into tears and hugged her husband joyously until a federal marshal moved in to quiet her. Parker said the verdict was reached at 5:20 p.m. CDT, after nearly 25 hours of deliberation. It was announced in court at 6:50 p.m. The jury of 11 blacks and one white, most of them bluecollar or clerical workers, spent four days weighing the evi dence before delivering the verdict in the first trial in 80 years of a man charged with shooting an American president. The White House had no immediate comment, nor did the Justice Department or the prosecution team. The jury foreman. 22-year-old Lawrence H. Coffey, was reticent when he returned exhausted to his three-story home, accompanied by a U.S. marshal. " We made a decision, he said when asked about the delib erations. Merryanna Swartz, 31, the only white on the jury, said, " Sorry, no comment, no comment," as she arrived home. Ms. Swartz has worked with disturbed teen-agers. Other jurors also offered "no comments" or could not be reached. Hinckley stood and faced the jury as foreman Coffey, a hotel worker who graduated from high school at age 20, passed the envelope containing the verdict to the judge.
doi:10.26153/tsw/33212
fatcat:gjeabr4xx5bkplealinyjucod4