Sirhan Sirhan.Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock
Sirhan Bushara Sirhan, who was convicted ofRobert F. Kennedy’s 1968 murder, is “in disbelief” afterofficials voted to grant him paroleon Friday.
“The two sat together. They held hands. I mean, they were face-to-face. Sirhan cried. Robert Jr. accepted his apology. … At that point, Robert Jr. was convinced that there is way more to the story than what came out at trial and that there could be a second gunman, and he has been on Sirhan’s side since.”
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The support from Douglas, who was a toddler when his father died in 1968, turned out to be a welcomed surprise for Sirhan, as he and Berry were notified a day before the hearing that Kennedy’s youngest son would make an appearance.
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Although Berry says that Robert Jr. thought Douglas would also be in support of Sirhan’s parole, she adds that his testimony was “sort of a wild card,” as he “has not been part of this discourse at all.”
“I think it was very heartening to Sirhan to hear that Douglas Kennedy did see his humanity and as somebody who was deserving redemption and release because of his rehabilitation,” Berry explains.
After Sirhan’s parole was approved Friday, the California Parole Board’s staff has 120 days to review a transcript of the hearing and make a recommendation to Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom, who is currently facing a recall election on Sept. 14, will have 30 days to uphold, reverse or modify the decision.
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“The law says if somebody is no longer a danger to society, they must be released,” Barry notes. “So if we stick to the law, then the governor should go along with it.”
“And so that’s where we focused on, all of the positive programming he’s been doing over the last 52 years, but specifically over the last five years, since his last denial,” she adds.
Additionally, Sirhan is eligible foryouth offender parole, which took effect in its current form in January 2018, applying to inmates who were under the age of 26 when they committed their crime (Sirhan was 24). He also qualifies for theelderly parole program, which was modified last September to apply to inmates over 50 years old who have been incarcerated for at least 20 years.
“He has a lot of physical ailments that are related to his age, and those became relevant for this elderly prisoner release consideration,” Berry explains. “And quite frankly, it’s not fair to the taxpayers to be paying to treat somebody with all of these ailments, particularly when they’re no longer a risk to society.”
RFK Portrait Session.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Sen. Kennedy, who served as the 64th attorney general before being elected to represent New York in the U.S. Senate, was mortally wounded in a shooting on the night of June 4, 1968. After winning the presidential primaries in California and South Dakota that day, he was shot in the kitchen of The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while leaving a campaign event at the hotel’s ballroom.
According to anEvening Journalreport at the time, Kennedy died at “1:44 a.m., PDT, little more than 25 hours after the assault.” He was 42.
Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder in 1969 and was sentenced to death. However, his sentence was commuted to life in prison three years later when the California Supreme Court outlawed capital punishment.
“I wouldnever put myself in jeopardyagain,” Sirhan said during Friday’s hearing, according to the AP. “You have my pledge. I will always look to safety and peace and non-violence.”
source: people.com
