Assassin of Robert Kennedy denied parole

San Diego, Feb 11: For the 15th time, officials have denied parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Senator Robert F Kennedy, after hearing from another person who was shot that night and called for the release of Sirhan.

The decision came yesterday after Sirhan answered questions from the parole panel for about three hours in a small, windowless conference room. Sirhan stuck to his previous account that he did not remember the shooting in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

He said he recalled being in the hotel then going to his car and returning after realising he had too much to drink. He said he became interested in a female as he drank coffee.

Paul Schrade, now 91, told the panel that he believes Sirhan shot him but an unidentified second shooter killed Kennedy. Schrade was a Kennedy confidante who was one of five people injured in the shooting after Kennedy won the Democratic presidential primary in California.

AP