The widow of Robert F Kennedy has said she does not support her husband’s killer getting parole.
Ethel Kennedy, 93, said that Sirhan Bushara Sirhan, 77, should be spared the death penalty, however she did not think that he should be freed from prison.
This comes after his children were split about whether their father’s killer ought to be paroled. Kerry Kennedy, Joseph P Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy and Rory Kennedy co-authored a statement expressing their opposition. Their brothers, Robert F Kennedy Jr and Douglas Kennedy, expressed support for his parole.
“Bobby believed we should work to ‘tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of the world.’ He wanted to end the war in Vietnam and bring people together to build a better, stronger country. More than anything, he wanted to be a good father and loving husband,” Ms Kennedy said in a statement to The Independent.
Kennedy was shot dead by Sirhan in 1968 in Los Angeles, five years after his older brother, President John F Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Ms Kennedy’s statement continued: “Our family and our country suffered an unspeakable loss due to the inhumanity of one man. We believe in the gentleness that spared his life, but in taming his act of violence, he should not have the opportunity to terrorize again.”
“He should not be paroled,” it concluded.
This comes after last month’s ruling from the California Parole Board, which said Sirhan was no longer a threat to the community and that he had demonstrated personal development. In addition, it was acknowledged the trauma he experienced growing up as a Palestinian in war-torn Jerusalem, along with his old age. Their decision faces review and can be vetoed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Ms Kennedy married her late husband in June 1950, and together they had 11 children, two of whom have passed away. Throughout their marriage, she supported her husband’s and his family’s political ambitions. Later in her life, she became a notable fan and friend of President Barack Obama.
