Sirhan Sirhan has been recommend for parole. Any thoughts?

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
1

RFK assassin Sirhan B. Sirhan recommended for parole, but decision not final (nbcnews.com)

I am having a lot of problems with this decision. From what I have read he has no remorse for the shooting. I saw that Ethel Kennedy is not in favor of his release.

2 Likes
2

Per the linked story

Two of Kennedy’s sons, lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and writer Douglas Kennedy, expressed support for parole Friday,

And six others opposed.

Hmmm…

One of Kennedy’s sons, Douglas H. Kennedy, spoke in favor of Sirhan’s parole…
” I was very deeply moved by Mr. Sirhan’s expression of remorse and at times it brought tears to my eyes and affected me very deeply.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/08/27/sirhan-parole-hearing/

3

I think he is sorry it happened, but doesn’t remember the event, so can’t be remorseful for his part in it.

4

Robert Jr.'s endorsement of parole may be a negative for Sirhan, since Robert Jr. seems to make the news these days mostly in terms of anti-vaccine (general as well as COVID-19) advocacy.

5

There is also an issue of whether he’ll be allowed to stay in California at his brother’s house or be deported. Parole may not be the best living situation for him.

6

Now we are getting political but I say lock him up. If you’ve shot someone, you are capable of doing it again - so why put him out where he can do it again.

Plus, Ethel Kennedy said no.

It must be difficult family wise to be on both sides - they had enough stress.

I’m not a fan of parole for murder - makes zero sense to me - but obviously everyone has different opinions.

3 Likes
7

Since state laws in various states do include the possibility of sentences less than “life imprisonment without the possibility of parole” for murder, it appears that whoever wrote the state laws at least envisioned the possibility of some of those convicted of murder eventually getting out of prison.

Sirhan was originally sentenced to death, but a different court case shortly thereafter invalidated the death penalty in California, commuting all then-existing death sentences to life imprisonment. At the time, there was no “life imprisonment without possibility of parole” in California, though that was later added as a possible sentence for some crimes.