Kennedy's assassin denied parole
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Sirhan Sirhan
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SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Sirhan Sirhan, who is serving a life sentence for assassinating Sen. Robert Kennedy in 1968, was denied parole Thursday for the 12th time, with officials saying he would pose a danger to society if released and that his mental condition was deteriorating.
"The board denied his parole for three years, saying that he would still be an unreasonable risk to society if he were released," said Bill Sessa, spokesman for the state's Board of Prison Terms.
At the hearing, the panel reviewed prison officials' assessment that noted his anger and ability to cope had worsened in the last few years.
"His mental skills, his ability to cope in prison seem to be eroding," Sessa said. "He seems to be far more angry and agitated than he has been in years past.
"To the board it was just another sign that he would pose an unacceptable risk if he were released to society."
Sirhan, 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 claimed he was innocent.
Sirhan did not appear before the panel at Corcoran State Prison between San Francisco and Los Angeles. His next parole review comes up in 2006.
The Palestinian immigrant was initially sentenced to death for the June 4, 1968 murder of Kennedy in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the California State Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional.
The assassin has said that authorities destroyed or hid crime scene photos and ballistic evidence and introduced false testimony at his trial.
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