No Charges for Hinckley in Death of James Brady

Would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr. will not be charged with murder in last year's death of James Brady, the Washington Post reports. The notion had become a real possibility when a coroner ruled that Brady's death at age 73 was a homicide—the result of the bullets that struck him in the head back in 1981. Federal prosecutors decided they would have little chance of conviction considering that Hinckley was found to be not guilty by reason of insanity of all charges at the time, reports NBC News.

"The decision was made following a review of applicable law, the history of the case, and the circumstances of Mr. Brady's death, including recently finalized autopsy findings," says a statement from the US Attorney's Office in Washington. The Brady family issued a statement saying it respected the decision. Hinckley remains institutionalized at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, though he gets to spend a lot of time on the outside. (More John Hinckley stories.)