Smith reportedly denied plea bargain for Hinckley

Attorney General William French Smith turned down two bids by lawyers for John W. Hinckley Jr. to plead guilty and go to prison on charges of shooting President Reagan, the Washington Post reported.

The report said Mr. Smith insisted that Hinckley not be allowed a plea bargain. If the pleas had been accepted, Hinckley could have been sentenced to life in prison, but could have been eligible for parole at an agreed date after at least 10 years, a Justice Department source told the Post. The rationale behind the offers apparently was that Hinckley would have had no hope of being released if he was found guilty and sentenced to consecutive terms in prison on charges involving all four victims.