U.S. parole panel votes to release RFK assassin

Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian refugee convicted of assassinating U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, was granted release by a California parole board on Friday, state prison officials said.

Whether Sirhan, 77, is ultimately freed from prison is now up to the parole board's legal staff, which has 120 days to finalize the decision. The governor of California then has 30 days to let the decision stand or reverse it.

The Palestinian-born Sirhan is serving a life sentence for gunning down Kennedy, 42, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. The shooting occurred minutes after the U.S. senator from New York and former U.S. attorney general gave his victory speech after winning the California Democratic primary. Kennedy died the next day. Sirhan has said he had no recollection of the killing, although he has also said he fired at Kennedy because he was enraged by his support for Israel.

“Over half a century has passed,” Sirhan told the two parole commissioners, “and that young impulsive kid I was does not exist anymore ... Sen. Kennedy was the hope of the world and I injured, and I harmed all of them and it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible deed.”

Sirhan, who is imprisoned in San Diego, has been denied parole 15 times.

Kennedy's family made a late decision to appear at the hearing, with son Douglas H. Kennedy speaking in favour of Sirhan's parole. “I really do believe any prisoner who is found to be not a threat to themselves or the world should be released,” Douglas Kennedy said, according to the Associated Press. “I believe that applies to everyone, every human being, including Mr. Sirhan ... I was very deeply moved by Mr. Sirhan's expression of remorse and at times it brought tears to my eyes and affected me very deeply.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a letter to the parole board on Friday in support of Sirhan after learning that the sheriff's department had sent a letter opposing parole “on behalf of the Kennedy family.” “Please know that that letter was not at the direction of the `family,' and certainly not me,” Robert Kennedy Jr. wrote. “As you may know, I have been a strong advocate for the release of Mr. Sirhan B. Sirhan since I learned of evidence that was not presented to the court during his trial.”

Sirhan's attorney Angela Berry told the newspaper her client has never been accused of a serious prison violation and that officials have deemed him a low risk.