DENIED parole for Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan, 78

On Wednesday, a California panel denied parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, saying the 78-year-old prisoner remains ignorant of what prompted him to shoot the senator and then-presidential nominee in 1968.

Sirhan’s lawyer Angela Berry argued against the board’s position, saying Sirhan had shown awareness of his actions and his psychiatrists had said for years he was unlikely to pose a danger to society if released.

Two years ago, another California parole board agreed with Berry and voted to release Sirhan, but Gov. Gavin Newson reversed the decision in 2022.

Berry said she believes Wednesday’s new board members were influenced by Newsom and the attorneys representing Kennedy’s widow and some of his children — several of the slain politician’s relatives oppose Sirhan’s release, although not all.

In denying Sirhan’s freedom last year, the governor said the prisoner remains a threat to the public and has not accepted responsibility for a crime that changed American history.

On Wednesday, a California panel denied parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, saying the 78-year-old prisoner remains ignorant of what prompted him to shoot the senator and then-presidential nominee in 1968

The board denied Sirhan’s parole, saying it was unclear if he fully understood the weight of his deadly actions 55 years ago

“I feel like the board bowed to the governor’s political whim,” Berry said after the hearing at a federal prison in San Diego County.

Berry said the aging prisoner was also “not as articulate” when he spoke to the board this time. The board recommended that Sirhan do more work to better understand what makes a person a political assassin, she said.

The parole board hearing comes nearly six months after Berry asked a Los Angeles County judge to reverse Newsom’s denial. The case is ongoing, and Berry said it’s unclear how Wednesday’s denial by the board will affect it.

“Last time they found him released and nothing has changed,” Berry said. “He has continued to show great behavior.”

In a 3 1/2 minute message played during a Berry press conference in September, Sirhan said he regrets his actions every day. It was the first time since a televised parole hearing in 2011 that Sirhan’s voice was heard publicly before California banned audio or visual recordings of such proceedings.

“To turn that weight into something positive, I’ve dedicated my life to self-improvement, mentoring others in prison on how to live a peaceful life centered around non-violence,” he said. “By doing so, I make sure that no other person becomes a victim of my actions again and I hope that others will follow.”

Sirhan shot Kennedy shortly after the US Senator from New York won California’s crucial 1968 Democratic presidential primary. He injured five others during the shooting at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian from Jordan who suffered childhood trauma from the Middle East bombings, has admitted he was angry with Kennedy for his support of Israel, but has insisted he does not remember the shooting and briefly previously drank alcohol.

Sirhan, who was convicted of first-degree murder, was originally sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed the death penalty in 1972.

He was denied parole 15 times through 2021 when the board recommended his release.

Sirhan’s younger brother, Munir Sirhan, has said his brother can live with him in Pasadena, California if he is paroled. Sirhan Sirhan has waived his right to fight deportation to his native Jordan.

Sirhan has been imprisoned for 55 years since he shot and killed RfK and five others during the Ambassador Hotel shooting in Los Angeles

Sirhan shot Kennedy shortly after the US Senator from New York won California’s crucial 1968 Democratic presidential primary

Berry filed a 53-page incarceration review asking the judge to rule that Newsom violated state law, which says inmates should be released on parole unless they pose a currently unreasonable risk represents public safety. Recent California laws also required the parole board to consider that Sirhan committed the offense at a young age – 24 – and that he is now a senior prisoner.

She objects to the governor’s reversal as “abuse of powers,” a denial of Sirhan’s constitutional right to due process, and a violation of California law. She also alleges that Newsom misrepresented the facts in his decision.

Newsom’s office declined to comment.

Newsom overruled two parole officers who had determined Sirhan was no longer a risk. Among other things, Newsom said Sirhan failed to deny the violence committed in his name, raising the risk that he could spark political unrest.

The verdict divided the Kennedy family, with RFK’s widow, Ethel Kennedy, and several of Kennedy’s nine surviving children opposing his parole.

The board on Wednesday denied Sirhan parole for three years, but he can petition to request that his 17th parole hearing be held by then.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk