(Reuters) - Federal prosecutors will not chargeJohn Hinckley Jr. in the death of former White House presssecretary James Brady, even though a medical examiner ruled hisdeath a homicide. Brady was shot in the head during anassassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
The shooting left Brady partially paralyzed and his death inAugust at age 73 was attributed to wounds from the shooting inWashington, D.C.
Washington's U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement that the decision not to pursue charges against Hinckley was madeafter a review of the law, the history of the case, and thecircumstances of Brady's death.
Barry Levine, Hinckley's attorney, said he was not surprisedby prosecutors' decision, given the length of time since theshooting and the circumstances of the case.
"Mr. Hinckley is haunted by the tragedy that his conduct,more than 30 years ago, created," he said.
According to the statement from prosecutors, because a juryin 1982 found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity,prosecutors could not argue that he was sane when he shot Brady.
District of Columbia courts also abided by the "year and aday rule" before 1987, which mandated that homicide chargescould only be brought if the victim died within a year and a dayof the injury causing death, the statement said.
An autopsy report completed last month showed that thegunshot wound made it difficult for Brady to control his salivaand to eat, which led to aspiration pneumonia and otherillnesses, the statement said.
When Brady died in Alexandria, Virginia, he had aspirationpneumonia. The coroner concluded his death was caused by thegunshot wound and its consequences.
Hinckley also wounded Reagan, a police officer and a SecretService agent in the attack outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Hinckley, 59, has been at St. Elizabeths psychiatrichospital for more than 32 years.
The shooting left Brady partially paralyzed and his death inAugust at age 73 was attributed to wounds from the shooting inWashington, D.C.
Washington's U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement that the decision not to pursue charges against Hinckley was madeafter a review of the law, the history of the case, and thecircumstances of Brady's death.
Barry Levine, Hinckley's attorney, said he was not surprisedby prosecutors' decision, given the length of time since theshooting and the circumstances of the case.
"Mr. Hinckley is haunted by the tragedy that his conduct,more than 30 years ago, created," he said.
According to the statement from prosecutors, because a juryin 1982 found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity,prosecutors could not argue that he was sane when he shot Brady.
District of Columbia courts also abided by the "year and aday rule" before 1987, which mandated that homicide chargescould only be brought if the victim died within a year and a dayof the injury causing death, the statement said.
An autopsy report completed last month showed that thegunshot wound made it difficult for Brady to control his salivaand to eat, which led to aspiration pneumonia and otherillnesses, the statement said.
When Brady died in Alexandria, Virginia, he had aspirationpneumonia. The coroner concluded his death was caused by thegunshot wound and its consequences.
Hinckley also wounded Reagan, a police officer and a SecretService agent in the attack outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Hinckley, 59, has been at St. Elizabeths psychiatrichospital for more than 32 years.
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