Sirhan Sirhan is pictured arriving today for his parole hearing. It was his 16th parole hearing Friday for fatally shooting U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968
Robert F. Kennedy's assassin was granted parole Friday after two of RFK's sons spoke in favor of Sirhan Sirhan's release and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars.
The decision was a major victory for the 77-year-old prisoner, though it does not assure his release.
The ruling by the two-person panel at Sirhan's 16th parole hearing will be reviewed over the next 90 days by the California Parole Board's staff.
Then it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant it, reverse it or modify it.
Douglas Kennedy, who was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968, said he was moved to tears by Sirhan's remorse and pushed for his release if he's not a threat to others.
'I'm overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr. Sirhan face to face,' he said. 'I think I've lived my life both in fear of him and his name in one way or another. And I am grateful today to see him as a human being worthy of compassion and love.'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spoken in favor of Sirhan's release in the past, continued to vouch for Sirhan.
The New York senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was assassinated on June 6, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary.
Sirhan, who was convicted of first-degree murder and has served 53 years, has said he doesn´t remember the killing or his confession.
In this May 9, 1968 file photo, Senator Robert F. Kennedy speaks to the delegates of the United Auto Workers at a convention hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Prosecutors for the first time are not opposing the release of Sirhan Sirhan
RFK was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary
Just before the assassination, Sirhan drank coffee in a hotel pantry with a woman he was attracted to, and the next thing he has said he remembered was being choked and unable to breathe as he was taken into custody
His lawyer, Angela Berry, argued that the board should base its decision on who Sirhan is today.
Prosecutors declined to participate or oppose his release under a policy by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, a former police officer who took office last year after running on a reform platform.
Gascón, who said he idolized the Kennedys and mourned RFK's assassination, believes the prosecutors' role ends at sentencing and they should not influence decisions to release prisoners.
Sirhan, who was in a blue prison uniform with a paper towel folded like a handkerchief and tucked into his pocket, smiled as Kennedy spoke.
The 77-year-old told members of the California Parole Board at this 16th bid for freedom that he had learned to control his anger and was committed to living peacefully.
'I would never put myself in jeopardy again,' he said. 'You have my pledge. I will always look to safety and peace and non-violence.'
Some Kennedy family members, Los Angeles law enforcement officers and the public submitted letters opposing Sirhan's release, Parole Board Commissioner Robert Barton said at the start of Friday's virtual proceeding, where Sirhan appeared from a San Diego County prison.
'We don´t have a DA here, but I have to consider all sides,' Barton said, noting he considered arguments made in the past by prosecutors opposing his release, depending on their relevance.
Sirhan, pictured in a blue prison uniform with a paper towel folded like a handkerchief and tucked into his pocket, smiled as Douglas Kennedy spoke
Sirhan, pictured at his hearing today, was convicted of first-degree murder and has served 53 years. He has said he doesn't remember the killing
Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian from Jordan, has acknowledged he was angry at Kennedy for his support of Israel.
When asked about how he feels about the Middle East conflict today, Sirhan broke down crying and temporarily couldn't speak.
'Take a few deep breaths,' said Barton, who noted the conflict had not gone away and still touched a nerve.
Sirhan, pictured in a prison mugshot on August 25, 2021
Sirhan said he doesn't follow what's going on in the region but thinks about the suffering of refugees.
'The misery that those people are experiencing. It's painful,' Sirhan said.
If released, Sirhan could be deported to Jordan, and Barton said he was concerned he might become a 'symbol or lightning rod to foment more violence.'
Sirhan said he was too old to be involved in the Middle East conflict and would detach himself from it.
'The same argument can be said or made that I can be a peacemaker, and a contributor to a friendly nonviolent way of resolving the issue,' Sirhan said.
Paul Schrade, who was wounded in the shooting, also spoke in favor of his release.
Conspiracy theories have lived for decades about a second shooter, as well as the possibility that Sirhan was under hypnosis or a patsy.
Even Kennedy's son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote a letter of support Friday, told the Washington Post in 2018 that he doesn't believe Sirhan was the killer.
'I was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father. My father was the chief law enforcement officer in this country. I think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didn't commit.'
Douglas Kennedy, left, who was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968, said he was moved to tears by Sirhan's remorse and he should be released if he's not a threat to others. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right,who has spoken in favor of Sirhan's release in the past, wrote in favor of paroling Sirhan.
Kennedy, an author and environmental lawyer, supports re-opening the investigation into his father's murder.
Sirhan's attorney told the AP before today's hearing: 'We can´t change the past, but he was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
'To justify denying it based on the gravity of the crime and the fact that it disenfranchised millions of Americans is ignoring the rehabilitation that has occurred and that rehabilitation is a more relevant indicator of whether or not a person is still a risk to society.'
Sirhan was sentenced to death after his conviction, but that sentence was reduced to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.
At his last parole hearing in 2016, commissioners concluded after more than three hours of intense testimony that Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime.
Berry said California laws approved since 2018 support her case, one she plans to point out to the board if it favors releasing certain older prisoners who committed crimes at a young age when the brain is prone to impulsivity.
Sirhan was 24 at the time of the assassination.
Barton said the board was required to give 'great weight' to youth parole eligibility.
In this June 5, 1968, file photo, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy addresses campaign workers in Los Angeles. At his side are his wife, Ethel, and his California campaign manager, Jesse Unruh, speaker of the California Assembly
Sirhan has in the past stuck to his account that he doesn´t remember the killing.
However, he has recalled events before the crime in detail - going to a shooting range that day, visiting the hotel in search of a party and returning after realizing he was too drunk to drive after downing Tom Collins cocktails.
Just before the assassination, he drank coffee in a hotel pantry with a woman. The next thing he has said he remembered was being choked and unable to breathe as he was taken into custody.
At his 2016 hearing, he said he felt remorse for any crime victim but couldn´t take responsibility for the shooting.
Sirhan told the panel then that if released, he hoped he would be deported to Jordan or live with his brother in Pasadena, California.
