Sirhan Sirhan was paroled again Wednesday, 55 years after he shot dead presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles.

The latest denial by a California board in San Diego comes after Sirhan was found fit for parole in 2021 by a two-person parole panel, but the decision was reversed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In an op-ed published in The Times in January 2022, Newsom wrote that Sirhan, who shot and killed Kennedy and wounded five others at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, remained a threat to the public.

Sirhan’s lawyer Angela Berry said Wednesday’s refusal by the two-member parole board was influenced by Newsom’s stubborn opposition to the 78-year-old’s release.

The decision “suggests they gave in to the governor’s political whims,” ​​Berry said in an interview with The Times.

“It didn’t go as planned,” said Berry.

At Wednesday’s hearing, several people spoke out against Sirhan’s release, including members of the Kennedy family and their lawyer, Berry said.

“We didn’t have the presence of Paul Schrade this year. [He] was the last surviving victim to support parole,” Berry said.

Schrade, who died in November, had repeatedly argued for Sirhan’s release and believed more than one gunman was involved in the shooting.

Schrade’s sister, Louise “Weezie”

Stone

Duff, spoke out on Wednesday for Sirhan’s release, Berry said.

Berry said she was unsure what next steps will be taken on Sirhan’s behalf.

An appeal against Newsom’s parole denial is making its way through the court, and Berry said she is reluctant to file another appeal against Wednesday’s denial.

“The argument would be… [Sirhan] was found fit and nothing has happened in the intervening year and a half to indicate that he has entered a downward spiral to make him unfit,” said Berry.

“Yet they came to a contrary decision which is not supported by the file,” Berry added.