By Julie Watson and Brian Melley - The Associated Press
A panel on Friday granted parole to the assassin of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, brother of former President John F. Kennedy, after more than 50 years behind bars, after considering that he no longer poses a danger to society.
California Governor Gavin Newsom will ultimately decide whether to get out of jail.
Sirhan Sirhan, now 77, was arrested for killing on June 6, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles the senator, who was then seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.
A court convicted him of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death, although his sentence was later commuted to life in prison when the California Supreme Court briefly banned capital punishment in 1972.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy addresses members of his presidential campaign shortly before he was shot in Los Angeles in 1968.Dick Strobel / AP
"More than half a century has passed and that young and impulsive boy that was no longer exists. Senator Kennedy was the hope of the world and I hurt all of them and it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible act, if it is that I actually did, "said Sirhan, who appeared virtually from a San Diego County jail wearing a blue prison uniform and carrying a tissue folded paper towel peeking out from his shirt pocket.
[The Hispanic who helped Robert Kennedy in his last moments dies at 68]
After more than 15 years of hearings, the board finally considered that Sirhan has changed, noting that he has participated in more than 20 rehabilitation programs such as anger management classes, Tai Chi and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, including during the coronavirus pandemic. .
"We think it has grown," said one of the panel's curators, Robert Barton.
The decision was supported by two of the nine children who survive Kennedy.
Douglas H. Kennedy confessed to the board that he was moved to tears by Sirhan's repentance and that Sirhan should be released if he is no longer a threat to others.
Another son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., explained in a letter his emotional encounter with Sirhan in prison, "who cried, clasped my hands, and asked for forgiveness."
However, the decision has divided the family.
Six other sons of the former senator were surprised by the vote and urged the governor, who faces an impeachment election soon, to overturn the decision and keep Sirhan behind bars.
"He took our father from our family and from the United States. We are incredulous that this man's release is recommended," they wrote in a statement late Friday.
The resolution will be reviewed over the next 120 days by the board's staff.
Subsequently, it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant, revoke or modify it.
If Sirhan is released, he will have to live in a transitional home for six months, enroll in an alcohol abuse program, and receive therapy.