![]() ![]() Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Berry accused him of politicizing the parole process and putting his “political goals and agenda above that of the constitution”. Newsom has cited Robert F Kennedy as his political hero and keeps Kennedy photos in both his official and home offices, including one of Kennedy with his late father. ![]() Sirhan noted that some Kennedy relatives have publicly said he was “worthy of forgiveness and deserving of freedom”, adding, “I’m humbled by their love and empathy.” But Kennedy’s wife, Ethel Kennedy, and six of Kennedy’s nine surviving children opposed his parole. Newsom’s decision split the Kennedy family, with two of Kennedy’s sons, Douglas Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy Jr, supporting his release. Sirhan said he had been in contact with the victims and their families over the years, “making direct and indirect amends for my actions”. To transform this weight into something positive, I have dedicated my life to self improvement and mentoring others in prison on how to live a peaceful life that revolves around non-violence.” “The remorse I carry for my actions is something I live with each day. “All I want to do is return home to my brother and live out the rest of our days in peace,” he said. ![]() In a recorded statement played by his attorneys, Sirhan said he was hopeful the courts would issue an “unbiased and apolitical decision” based on his achievements behind bars, including self-help programming, a college education, mentoring incarcerated people and facing no disciplinary write-ups for nearly a half century. It also alleges that Newsom misstated the facts in his decision.īerry said the governor “acted with personal bias, incorporated the wrong law, ignored mitigation evidence, and did not afford Sirhan the same rights as others eligible for parole”. Recent California laws also required the parole panel to consider that Sirhan committed the offense at a young age, when he was 24, and that he is now an elderly prisoner.īerry said she was challenging the governor’s reversal as an “abuse of discretion”, a denial of Sirhan’s constitutional right to due process and as a violation of California law. She is filing what is known as a writ of habeas corpus asking a judge to rule that Newsom violated state law, which holds that inmates should be paroled unless they pose a current unreasonable public safety risk. The governor argued Sirhan remains a threat to the public and has not taken responsibility for a crime that changed American history.īut Sirhan Sirhan’s attorney, Angela Berry, says there is no evidence her now 78-year-old client remains dangerous. In January Gavin Newsom, the California governor, overruled two parole commissioners who had found that Sirhan no longer was a risk. ![]()
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