Sirhan denied parole in 1968 slaying of Robert Kennedy, for 15th time
For the 15th time, the convicted slayer of Robert F. Kennedy was denied parole on Wednesday by California’s Board of Parole Hearings.
Pressed to express remorse, Sirhan Sirhan, 71, told the board he didn’t remember shooting Kennedy in 1968, just after the Democratic presidential candidate had delivered a victory speech for the state’s primary election, reports the Associated Press.
“It’s all vague now,” he said of what happened on June 5, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. “I’m sure you all have it in your records, I can’t deny it or confirm it. I just wish this whole thing had never taken place.”
Once sentenced to death, Sirhan had his sentence commuted to a life term when the California Supreme Court briefly banned capital punishment in the 1970s.
The commissioners determined after the three-hour San Diego hearing that Sirhan lacked an appreciation of the enormity of his crime.
“This crime impacted the nation, and I daresay it impacted the world,” said commissioner Brian Roberts. “It was a political assassination of a viable Democratic presidential candidate.”
Sirhan will next be eligible for another parole hearing in five years.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyers for Sirhan Sirhan Appeal, Argue Convicted Assassin Didn’t Kill RFK, Bullet Was Switched”
ABAJournal.com: “Sirhan May Have Plotted to Assassinate Ted Kennedy, Too, Says FBI”
