Picture a man in his seventies painting portraits of his cat, selling them on eBay, and uploading folk songs to YouTube. Now recall that this is the same man who nearly assassinated a sitting U.S. president in a deluded attempt to impress a teenage movie star. This deep dive traces the staggering arc of John Hinckley Jr.

From an isolated, privileged upbringing to a legal earthquake and a controversial second act, we examine the mechanisms behind his unraveling.

• His wealthy background, failure in Los Angeles, and an obsession with the film Taxi Driver and actress Jodie Foster.
• A stalking campaign, a Nashville airport arrest with handguns that never reached the Secret Service, and siloed data failures.
• The six seconds outside the Washington Hilton that wounded President Reagan, James Brady, and others.
• His 1 ...