California governor rejects parole for RFK assassin

California governor Gavin Newsom denied Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan parole on Thursday.

Sirhan Sirhan has been in prison for more than 50 years after assassinating Kennedy, then a presidential candidate, in 1968.

Newsom rejected recommendations from a panel made up of two parole commissioners and said Sirhan poses an unreasonable threat to public safety.

Sirhan had previously been denied parole 15 times.

What did Newsom say about the decision?

"Mr. Sirhan's assassination of Senator Kennedy is among the most notorious crimes in American history," Newsom wrote in his decision.

"After decades in prison, he has failed to address the deficiencies that led him to assassinate Senator Kennedy," Newsom said.

"Mr Sirhan lacks the insight that would prevent him from making the same types of dangerous decisions he made in the past."

Newsom said that the factors in his decision included Sirhan's refusal to accept responsibility for his crime, his lack of insight and the accountability required to support his safe release, his failure to disclaim violence committed in his name, and his failure to mitigate his risk factors.

Who was Kennedy's assassin?

Sirhan was convicted of gunning down Kennedy in the kitchen pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968.

The shooting ocurred shortly after Kennedy gave his victory speech after winning the California Democratic primary. Kennedy died the next day.

Sirhan is a Palestinian Christian who was born in Jerusalem. He admitted he was angry at Kennedy due to the politician's support of Israel, but maintains that he has no recollection of the killing.

In prison, Sirhan was considered a low risk inmate even after being stabbed in 2019.

The Los Angeles Police Department and some of Kennedy's relatives sent letters urging Sirhan not to be released after the possibility of him being granted parole was made known.

sdi/wd (AP, Reuters)