Loading articles...

Mother of would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley dies at 95

Last Updated Aug 3, 2021 at 11:30 am MDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jo Ann Hinckley, whose son John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and who spent her final years living with her son in Virginia, has died.

Jo Ann Hinckley, 95, had been her son’s primary companion as he transitioned in recent years from living at a Washington psychiatric hospital to being allowed to live with her full-time in a gated community in Williamsburg.

Barry Levine, John Hinckley’s longtime attorney, confirmed Jo Ann Hinckley’s death to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Levine said that Jo Ann Hinckley died in her sleep last week. He did not provide a cause of death.

Levine said that Jo Ann Hinckley devoted her life to looking after her son following Reagan’s shooting. She and her husband, John “Jack” Hinckley Sr., had moved to Williamsburg to be closer to their son after a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity and he was ordered to live at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington.

“She devoted her life to John and the rest of their family,” Levine said in an emailed statement. “She provided a caring home, support and most of all – love – to help John heal. She stood by him without reservation. At the same time, she continued to live her life with utmost dignity and grace.”

Ben Finley And Jessica Gresko, The Associated Press