John Hinckley Jr. says he's happy 'as a clam' but lacks close friends

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan told doctors last year that he's never been happier. But he's struggled to develop close friendships or romantic relationships.

That's according to mental health evaluations of John Hinckley Jr. that were taken in 2018 and publicly released on Tuesday. The reports preceded a federal judge's decision in November to allow Hinckley to eventually move out of his mother's house in Virginia and live under fewer restrictions.

Hinckley shot and wounded Reagan and three others outside a Washington hotel in 1981. Hinckley left a psychiatric hospital in 2016 and moved in with his mother in Williamsburg.

The reports offer the most recent window into the 63-year-old's life. Hinckley sells items at an antique mall and says he's "happy as a clam."