Parole denied for RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan

A Sacramento, California, prison board on Wednesday denied parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. 

The Associated Press reported that the parole board still felt that Sirhan "still lacks insight into what caused him to shoot" Kennedy, and had not adequately expressed his remorse for doing so. Their decision comes even as AP noted that psychiatrists have said the 78-year-old Sirhan would likely not be a danger to anyone anymore. 

Sirhan was convicted of shooting and killing Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. Kennedy, the brother of former President John F. Kennedy, was a U.S. senator and candidate for president that year. At the time of his death, Kennedy was the likely shoo-in for the Democratic nomination, and BBC News noted that "his unique political talents could have taken him to the presidency."

Sirhan has been behind bars ever since. He has been denied parole numerous times, often refusing to take responsibility for Kennedy's death. However, he was finally granted parole in 2021, in part due to his advanced age.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) circumvented the parole board's decision, though, and denied Sirhan's release in 2022, writing in the Los Angeles Times that "because of Sirhan's lack of insight, his release on parole would pose a threat to public safety," and that Sirhan "remains a potent symbol of political violence."

Lawyers for Sirhan argued that Newsom's previous denial had unfairly influenced the parole board's decision on Wednesday, saying that the board "bent to the political whim of the governor." AP noted that a case to reverse Newsom's denial is currently being held, though the effect this latest decision could have on that case is unclear.