By Nancy Dillon

New York Daily News

John Hinckley Jr. will undergo psychological testing by a federally selected expert as President Ronald Reagan’s would-be assassin pushes for ‘unconditional’ release

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman approved the testing Friday after Hinckley made an oral motion for unconditional release April 30, court filings in the ongoing criminal case show.

According to the new order, Dr. Mitchell Hugonnet — an expert selected by federal officials — may conduct the testing to reach a determination that’s separate from the findings of a doctor working for Washington’s Department of Behavioral Health, which oversees the psychiatric hospital where Hinckley was confined before his conditional release two years ago.

“Hugonnet may conduct such examination of John W. Hinckley, Jr., in Williamsburg, Virginia, as he deems appropriate in order to determine Mr. Hinckley’s present mental condition and risk of dangerousness if unconditionally released or conditionally released under the conditions proposed by the Department of Behavioral Health,” the judge’s order says.

The judge said the Department of Behavioral Health must provide Hugonnet with copies of all of Hinckley’s records and cooperate with the doctor’s request for collateral interviews.

Hinckley, 63, was released from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in 2016 and sent to live full-time with his elderly mother in Williamsburg under strict supervision.

He was ordered to have no contact with any of his victims, refrain from using alcohol, steer clear of weapons and remain within a specified distance from his mother’s residence.

On March 30, 1981, Hinckley shot Reagan and three others outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had become obsessed.

Reagan was struck by a bullet that ricocheted and hit him in the chest.

Press secretary James Brady was critically wounded in the attack and suffered permanent brain damage. He died from complications of his injuries in 2014.

In a decision granting Hinckley’s 2016 release, Friedman said doctors found that Hinckley was no longer a danger to society.

“It is fair to say the lives of few people have been scrutinized with the care and detail that John Hinckley’s has been,” Friedman wrote.

He said that for more than 27 years, “Mr. Hinckley, by all accounts, has shown no signs of psychotic symptoms, delusional thinking, or any violent tendencies.”

Years before his conditional release, Hinckley was permitted to leave St. Elizabeth’s for visits with his family.

A decision on Hinckley’s motion for unconditional release is not expected before a hearing set for Dec. 10.