Board Denies Parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the Assassin of Robert F. Kennedy

SACRAMENTO — A California panel on Wednesday denied parole for Sirhan B. Sirhan, the man convicted in the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, in its first review of the case since Gov. Gavin Newsom decided last year that Mr. Sirhan, 78, should not be released.

The parole board’s latest decision, which followed a hearing via videoconference from the state prison in San Diego, where Mr. Sirhan has been held, marked the second time in three years that Mr. Sirhan’s release was considered, and his 17th parole hearing.

Mr. Sirhan, who was 24 when he was convicted, has spent more than a half-century behind bars for shooting Mr. Kennedy, then a Democratic presidential candidate, in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

The state board in 2021 found Mr. Sirhan suitable for release for the first time, after 15 prior denials of parole. Under California law, Governor Newsom had the power to reject that recommendation. After more than four months of review, the Democratic governor blocked Mr. Sirhan’s release in January 2022.

“After decades in prison, he has failed to address the deficiencies that led him to assassinate Senator Kennedy,” the governor wrote last year. “Mr. Sirhan lacks the insight that would prevent him from making the same types of dangerous decisions he made in the past.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.