John Hinckley, Jr.

Name: John Hinckley, Jr
Played by: James Crapes
Born: May 29, 1955
Known for: Attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.

What Happened: In the late 70's Hinckley became obsessed with the film Taxi Driver, in which Robert De Niro's character plots to assassinate a presidential candidate. Hinckley was said to have watch the movie on a continuous loop 15 times in a row, as he developed a strong infatuation with Jodi Foster, who played a child prostitute in the film. When Foster attended Yale, Hinckley moved to be nearby and began to stalk her. He began slipping notes under her door and phoned her many times. When none of his attempts were successful, Hinckley decided that he could impress her by assassinating the President of the United States. His theory was that, as a historical figure, he would be her equal. On March 30, 1981 Hinckley shot a revolver six times at President Reagan as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. Several people were injured, including President Reagan, though everyone survived the shooting. Hinckley was charged with 13 offenses and found not guilty by reason of insanity. He remains confined in Washington DC at St. Elizabeths Hospital.

Also: Hinckley collected numerous materials about the assassination of John F. Kennedy and saw Lee Harvey Oswald as a role model. Just before his attempt on the President, Hinckley wrote to Foster, “Over the past seven months I've left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope that you could develop an interest in me... the reason I'm going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you.”