An Old Crime Is Still A Crime

John Hinckley is a tragic case, a young man who did something incredibly stupid and will pay the price for the rest of his life.  However, the tragedy is that he committed the crime, not that he is paying for it.  Hinckley recently gave an interview where he claimed that he is just seen as "the guy who tried to kill Reagan."

Well, to be fair, he is the guy who tried to kill Reagan.

Trying to plead for unsupervised visits to see his mother, Hinckley claims that he is cured and not the same guy who tried to shoot the POTUS on that fateful day in 1981.

He may not be the same guy.  But he was that guy once, and was found guilty because he was guilty.

A second November 2011 psychiatric evaluation notes that a keyword search on a computer in the hospital library (which was used by Hinckley and others) showed hits for Jodie Foster, Reagan, the movie “Taxi Driver,” variations on the word “assassinate,” and the 2011 film “The Beaver,” which was directed by Foster (with whom Hinckley claims he is no longer obsessed).

Additionally, searches were conducted for the names of several women with whom Hinckley has carried on romantic relationships with while hospitalized, three Beatles, the 2011 book “Rawhide Down,” which reconstructed the day Hinckley shot Reagan outside the Washington Hilton, and killers Ted Bundy and Charles Manson.

When questioned about the hits, Hinckley denied responsibility for the searches. “All I can tell you is I didn’t type in Ronald Reagan or Jodie Foster or any of these names,” he told a psychiatrist. Asked specifically about Bundy and Manson, Hinckley answered, “Hell no.” He added, “Give me a little more credit than that, please.”

Given the evidence, there is no reason to give him credit for anything. His behavior since the crime has no bearing on the sentence he was given, and the reason he was sentenced. There are some things you just don't do. A classic example is trying to harm the POTUS or FLOTUS. If you do that, you should expect death or life without parole. Crazy doesn't mean stupid, and Hinckley hasn't tried to play the dumb defense. He knew the cost going in, and the price makes sense. Anything less is an invitation to the Hinckleys and Jared Loughners of the world.

When you walk up to an innocent person and fire at point blank range, you forfeit the ability to play nice and make up for it. Tragic doesn't change that, it just means it it's a sadder story.