Panel Denies Sirhan Parole
Sirhan Sirhan, serving a life prison term for assassinating U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy in 1968, was denied parole Thursday for the 11th time for refusing to take responsibility for the shooting.
Denise Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the state’s Board of Prison Terms, said a three-member panel at Corcoran State Prison also cited Sirhan’s poor psychiatric evaluations as a reason for the denial. Sirhan, 57, did not attend the hourlong hearing.
“He was given a two-year denial,” Schmidt said. “He continues to deny responsibility for the crime.”
Sirhan’s lawyer could not be reached for comment
But the Palestinian immigrant--who was wrestled to the ground with a gun in his hand after Kennedy was shot just minutes after winning the California presidential primary--has long maintained his innocence.
He asked a federal judge last May to overturn his conviction, saying authorities destroyed or hid evidence that could exonerate him.
Sirhan, who was originally sentenced to death, had already lost a similar appeal to the California Supreme Court.
His death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the California State Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
