The California Board of Parole Hearings recommended parole Friday for Sirhan Sirhan, who has spent more than 50 years in prison for assassinating Robert F. Kennedy. It came after Sirhan, 77, made 16 applications to the board, with his latest being the first time a prosecutor did not show up to contend his release. “I take responsibility for taking it in and I take responsibility for firing the shots,” Sirhan told the committee, per The New York Times. His release was supported by Douglas Kennedy, a son of the late former attorney general. “I do have some love for you,” he told Sirhan at the hearing.
Sirhan’s fate will now be decided by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has the power to accept or reject the board’s recommendation. A Newsom spokesperson told the Times that he would review the proposed parole.
