Robert F Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan denied parole for the 16th time
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A California panel has denied parole to Robert F Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, 78, sixteen times citing he lacks accounts of what caused him to shoot the senator and then-presidential candidate in 1968. Sirhan's attorney lawyer Angela Berry argued the board members' decision on Wednesday, March 1, could be affected by Newsom and by the lawyers representing Kennedy's family.
Sirhan was 24 when he shot Kennedy and injured five others in the crossfire at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The US senator had claimed victory in California's pivotal Democratic presidential primary in 1968 when the gunfire erupted. At the time, Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian from Jordan said he suffered childhood trauma from the bombings in the Middle East and was angry at Kennedy for his support of Israel. Sirhan also claimed he does not remember the shooting because he had been drinking alcohol beforehand.
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'Abuse of discretion!'
Furthermore, two years ago a California parole board had agreed to release Sirhan but Governor Gavin Newson rejected the decision in 2022. Newson said the shooter remains a threat to the public and has not taken responsibility for his alleged crime. However, Berry claims the aging prisoner is are of his actions, and psychiatrists have said for years he is unlikely to be a danger to society if released.
Berry challenging the governor's reversal as an "abuse of discretion," said the recent California law requires the panel to consider the shooter was 24 when he committed the crime and has since been behind bars. "They found him suitable for release last time and nothing has changed," Berry said. "He's continued to show great behavior," reported Daily Mail.
Sirhan Sirhan's parole denied for the 16 time
In a three-minute-long message, Sirhan said he feels remorse every day for his actions. "To transform this weight into something positive, I have dedicated my life to self-improvement, the mentoring of others in prison on how to live a peaceful life that revolves around nonviolence," Sirhan said. "By doing this, I ensure that no other person is victimized by my actions again and hopefully make an impact on others to follow," he added.
Initially, Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and was originally sentenced to death. However, the sentence was commuted to life when California Supreme Court outlawed capital punishment in 1972. On Wednesday, the board denied Sirhan parole for three years. The ruling favored the Kennedy family, with RFK´s widow, Ethel Kennedy, and several of Kennedy´s nine surviving children opposing Sirhan's parole.