Govt rests case

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 9

Govt rests case

i-NZPA-Reuter Washington 1 i ’ In a surprise move yester- ’ i day Government prosecutors < : said< they would rest their Lease today against John i : Hinckley, who is charged s ( with attempting to assassi- < .mate. President. Ronald | ’-Reagan. I ! The. case, now in its eighth i i week, could go to the jury ' before the end of the week i i after the summing-up of the 1 i defence and prosecution I cases. j The chief prosecutor, Mr • Roger Adelman, said at the , end of yesterdays testimony: . I “We will rest dur case to-l-morrow, morning.”., j.? Judge Barrington Parker appeared startled at the ah- " ! nouncement. The prosecutors ! had been expected, to call i two more - psychiatrists to • testify that Hinckley, aged ■27, was not legally insane I " when he shot’Mr Reagan on

March 30, 1981, seriously wounding him and three others. The judge had earlier admonished Hinckley for speaking out loud in Court during testimony by the prosecution’s chief psychiatric witness, Dr Sally Johnson. Hinckley, seated at the defence table, said aloud: "You’re wrong.” when Dr Johnson said she did not believe that he had tried to kill Mr Reagan to win the love of the teen-age actress, Jody Foster. Dr Johnson, who interviewed Hinckley 57 times and whose testimony has vis- : ibly upset him, said she believed there were many reasons for Hinckley's assassination attempt. “I don't believe he specifically wanted to win her love,”" said Dr Johnson.