Man who killed RFK granted parole

The man who killed Robert F Kennedy was granted parole on Friday after two of the former attorney general, senator, and presidential hopeful’s sons spoke in favor of release and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars.

The decision was a major victory for Sirhan Sirhan, 77, though it did not assure his release.

The ruling by the two-person panel at Sirhan’s 16th parole hearing will be reviewed over 90 days by the California parole board. 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, a toddler when his father was killed in 1968, said he was moved to tears by Sirhan’s remorse and said he should be released 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 Kennedy, a New York senator and brother of President John F Kennedy, was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was killed on June 6, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary.

Sirhan has said he doesn’t remember the killing.