California prison board again denies parole to RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan
The California parole board has denied Robert F. Kennedy‘s convicted assassin the opportunity for parole for the next three years.
The board reached its decision Wednesday, determining that Sirhan Sirhan, 78, had not appropriately addressed the issues that led to him to shoot and kill the the Democratic Party presidential candidate in 1968, according to The New York Times.
In August 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended Sirhan for parole, but he reversed his decision about four months later.
“After decades in prison, he has failed to address the deficiencies that led him to assassinate Sen. Kennedy,” Newsom said in a statement. “Mr. Sirhan lacks the insight that would prevent him from making the same types of dangerous decisions he made in the past.”
Wednesday marks Sirhan’s 16th failed attempt at parole. His attorney, Angela Berry, reportedly argued the board was politically influenced by Newsom. She said Sirhan is unlikely to reoffend and has shown remorse for the murder.
CNN reports two of Kennedy’s surviving sons were in support of Sirhan’s release in 2021. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Douglas Kennedy stood in favor of the release, while several of Kennedy’s other children opposed it. Douglas Kennedy met with Sirhan and told him, “I do have some love for you.”
Sirhan was given the death sentence, but it was commuted to life in prison in 1972, according to CNN.
