A California parole board has denied parole to Sirhan Sirhan, who was found guilty of killing U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.

It was the 17th parole hearing and 16th rejection for the 78-year-old Sirhan. While his lawyers argued he is no longer a threat to the public, the parole board Wednesday ruled he still was not suitable for release.  

In 2021, a parole board approved his parole, but the decision was overturned by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who argued Sirhan was not yet rehabilitated. His lawyers sued, saying the governor’s decision was illegal. The case is still pending. 

Kennedy, the former U.S. attorney general in his brother John F. Kennedy’s administration, had just finished a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in which he claimed victory in the California presidential primary. As he and his entourage were leaving, Sirhan, an Israeli-born Palestinian who emigrated to the United States from Jordan, shot him. He was arrested at the scene.

Sirhan later said he was angry at Kennedy for his support of Israel. Robert Kennedy’s death came five years after JFK’s.

Surviving members of his family are divided on parole for Sirhan. Kennedy’s widow, 94-year-old Ethel Kennedy, and six of their children oppose it, but two sons support the release.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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