Let’s take a peek into the twisted mind of John Hinkley Jr. and we can probably see why he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in his assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan

A significant piece of evidence in the Hinckley trial was the New Year's Eve monologue of December 31, 1980. John Hinckley spoke this to his tape recorder:

John Lennon is dead. The world is over. Forget it. It's just gonna be insanity, if I even make it through the first few days. . . . I still regret having to go on with 1981 ... I don't know why people wanna live.”

”John Lennon is dead. . . . I still think-I still think about Jodie all the time. That's all I think about really. That, and John Lennon's death. They were sorta binded together.”

”I hate New Haven with a mortal passion. I've been up there many times, not stalking her really, but just looking after her. ... I was going to take her away for a while there, but I don't know. I am so sick I can't even do that. . . . It'll be total suicide city. I mean, I couldn't care less. Jodie is the only thing that matters now. Anything I might do in 1981 would be solely for Jodie Foster's sake.”

“My obsession is Jodie Foster. I've gotta, I've gotta find her and talk to her some way in person or something. ... That's all I want her to know, is that I love her. I don't want to hurt her. ... I think I'd rather just see her not, not on earth, than being with other guys. I wouldn't want to stay here on earth without her.”

If that doesn’t do it for ya, how ‘bout this letter written to Jodie Foster on March 30, 1981.

Dear Jodie,
There is a definite possibility that I will be killed in my attempt to get Reagan. It is for this reason that I am writing you this letter now.

As you well know by now I love you very much. Over the past seven months I’ve left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope you could develop an interest in me. Although we talked on the phone a couple times I never had the nerve to simply approach you and introduce myself. Besides my shyness, I honestly did not wish to bother you with my constant presence. I know the many messages left at your door and in your mailbox were a nuisance, but I felt it was the most painless way for me to express my love for you.

I feel very good about the fact that you know my name and know how I feel about you. And by hanging around your dormitory, I’ve come to realize that I’m the topic of more than a little conversation, however full of ridicule it may be. At least you know that I’ll always love you.

Jodie, I would abandon this idea of getting Reagan in a second if I could only win your heart and live out the rest of my life with you, whether it be in total obscurity or whatever.

I will admit to you that the reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I just cannot wait any longer to impress you. I’ve got to do something now to make you understand, in no uncertain terms, that I am doing all this for your sake! By sacrificing my freedom and possibly my life, I hope to change your mind about me. This letter is being written only an hour before I leave for the Hilton Hotel. Jodie, I’m asking you to please look into your heart and at least give me the chance, with this historical deed, to gain your respect and love.

I love you forever,
John Hinkley

Still not convinced? Try some of these excepts from the “poetry” of John Hinkley

Guns are Fun!

See that living legend over there?
With one little squeeze of this trigger
I can put that person at my feet
Moaning and groaning and pleading
with God.

This gun gives me pornographic power.
If I wish, the president will fall
And the world will look at me in disbelief

all because I own an inexpensive gun
Guns are lovable, Guns are fun
Are you lucky enough to own one?

I Know a Girl

I know a girl who is beyond words;
I don’t know her well but I know her.
I know she know that I know her
And she knows that I love her.
I don’t know her true feeling towards me
But she know that I know her name

Amen

Jodie isn’t plastic nor does she cry
at the sight of me writhing in pain
down in the gutter of Anystreet USA
because Jodie will always be Jodie

Don’t cry for me Arizona
the truth is
I brought it on myself
In a calculated way
And by means which
I would positively hurt
Everyone around me

The Painful Evolution

In the beginning
It was a time for pretending.
The martyr in me played games
And I was the young alienated loner

Toward the middle,
I lied about pain and troubles.
It was a mere three years ago
That I played the part so well.

Nearing the bend,
I should have turned back.
I could have taken the road
That leads to meaningful existence

In the end,
I have cursed myself and suffered.
I have become what I wanted
To be all along, a psychotic poet.

Here’s what they found in his wallet after the shooting….

$129.00
A Texas driver's license
A Colorado identity card
A picture of Jodie Foster (from Esquire) dressed up as a coed and holding a basketball
A picture of Jodie Foster looking like a model for a junior-high yearbook
Three other photos of Foster
A card on which was printed the Second Amendment ("the right to bear arms")
A photo of Hinckley's nephew

And last but not least, the contents found in his hotel room after the shooting…

A letter to Jodie Foster
A 1981 John Lennon calendar
Two suitcases
An empty box of Devestator (exploding) bullets
A box of normal (non-exploding) bullets
A variety of pills, including Valium, Surmontil, and Drixoral
A Band-Aid box containing a hijacking note ("This plane has been hijacked! I have a bomb...")
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Skyjacker by David Hubbard
Welcome to Xanadu by Nathaniel Benchley
The Fox is Crazy Too by Eliot Asinof
Romeo and Juliet
The Fan by Bob Randall
Taxi Driver
Thirty-eight pages of Hinckley's own writings
An army fatigue jacket
Several wool lumberjack shirts
A postcard with a picture of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and a note to Jodie Foster--asking "You are a virgin, aren't you?"--on its other side

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