John Hinckley Jr. Net Worth

Net Worth	$ 100,000
Real name	John Warnock Hinckley Jr.
Source of Wealth	YouTube channel, merchandise
Profession	/
Spouse/Partner	/
Date of Birth	May 29, 1955
Zodiac	Gemini
Age	68
Gender	Male
Pronoun	He/Him
Height	180 cm / 5 ft 10 inch
Nationality	American
Siblings	Scott Hinckley, Daniele Hinckley

Summary

John Warnock Hinckley Jr. is an American man who attempted to kill President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to impress the famous actress Jodie Foster with whom he was obsessed; he saw the actress in a movie titled "Taxi driver," where she played a twelve-year-old prostitute.

Aside from President Reagan, he also wounded White House Press Secretary James Brady, police officer Thomas Delahanty, and secret service agent Tim McCarthy.

On June 21, 1982, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was confined at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C.

In 2016, a federal judge ruled that Hinckley could leave the hospital as he was no longer a threat to others and himself.

Today, Hinckley has a YouTube channel with over thirty thousand subscribers where he sings and plays the guitar and sells his merchandise.

His net worth is estimated at $100.000.

Early life and Hinckley's obsession with Foster

John Warnock Hinckley Jr. was born on May 29, 1955, in Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA.

John was born into a wealthy family; his father, John Warnock Hinckley, was the founder, chief executive, and President of the Vanderbilt Energy Corporation. His mother, Jo Ann Hinckley, was a housewife.^[1]

John has two more older siblings, a brother named Scott Hinckley, who became the vice president of his father's firm, and a sister named Daniele Hinckley.^[2]

He attended Highland Park High School in Dallas County and was an on-again-off-again Texas Tech University student, from where he eventually dropped out.^[3]

Growing up, Hinckley played guitar and listened to "The Beatles," dreaming of becoming a musician and songwriter. He was described as an introvert who preferred to be alone and never brought friends home.

Seeing how isolated he was and the way he lived worried his parents, so Hinckley had to visit a psychiatrist and was put on antidepressants.

After he dropped out of college, he went to Hollywood to pursue his songwriting career.

During his stay in Hollywood, he watched the movie"Taxi Driver" fifteen times and developed an obsessive fixation with the actress Jodie Foster.

In the movie, the protagonist Travis Bickle is a loner, who has insomnia, works as a taxi driver, and plans to kill the President of the U.S.

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He also encounters a twelve-year-old prostitute named Iris Steensma, played by Jodie Foster, who is determined to save from her pimp. Besides his attempts to save Iris, Bickle becomes obsessed with a woman named Betsy, whom he considers the only bright spot in his life.^[4]

Similarly to Bickle, Hinckley becomes obsessed with Jodie Foster, thinking that if he kills President Ronald Reagan, he will be worthy of her love.

In 1979, Hinckley bought his first gun and started practicing shooting, and in the following years, he upgraded his collection with more weapons.

Since the famous actress was a Yale University student in 1980, Hinckley borrowed money from his parents to enroll in a writing course at Yale so he could be near her.

He left her love notes and poems and even had two over-the-phone conversations. Nevertheless, his efforts to impress Foster were in vain.

Hinckley's attempt to kill President Reagan

Before attempting to kill President Reagan, Hinckley wrote a love letter to Foster expressing his love and explaining why he never introduced himself to her.

He also told her that he plans to kill President Ronald Reagan and is begging her to give him a chance.

Then, he left the hotel where he was staying and went towards the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C., where President Reagan gave a speech in front of 5000 members of the AFL-CIO.^[5]

Hinckley shot six bullets at the President and his staff members, hitting the President, the White House Press Secretary, James Brady, Service agent Timothy Mccarthy, and police officer Thomas Delahanty.

First, the President's wounds were not visible until he coughed blood, after which he was taken to the hospital.

Hinckley missed the President's heart by a few inches.

The trial

In 1982, John Hinckley was charged with 13 crimes; however, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Hinckley was confined at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C, where he was treated for his illness and under heavy monitoring for over two decades.

In 2016, Judge Friedman ruled that Hinckley could stay permanently with his mother, meaning that he was finally released from the psychiatric hospital.^[6]

In 2022, Hinckley was fully released from any restrictions.

John Hinckley's life today

After being a fully-free man, Hinckley concentrates on music and art.

He has his own YouTube channel where he posts covers and original songs.

He also expressed remorse for what he had done. In an interview for CBC News, he stated:

"I have true remorse for what I did. I know they probably can't forgive me now, but I just want them to know that I am sorry for what I did."^[7]

Hinckley also sold out his first gig, but it was canceled because the venue owners had security concerns.

Hinckley is on Twitter as well. His account has more than 50 thousand followers.

Conclusion

In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to kill President Reagan because he was obsessed with

the actress Jodi Foster and tried to impress her.

The President and his staff were injured when Hinckley shot six bullets at them, striking the President just inches from his heart.

He was in a mental institution for more than 30 years.

Today, he creates music and runs his own YouTube channel.

References