Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (born March 19, 1944) is a Palestinian-born man who has held Jordanian citizenship. He became widely known after the shooting of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Sirhan was born in Jerusalem and is serving a life term at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.
Early life
Sirhan was born on March 19, 1944, in Jerusalem. Details of his childhood and movements before arriving in the United States are part of the public record but vary between accounts; he is generally described as Palestinian by origin and later became a Jordanian national.
Shooting of Robert F. Kennedy
On the night of June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, Sirhan fired several shots at Senator Robert F. Kennedy shortly after a campaign appearance. Kennedy succumbed to his injuries the following day, June 6, 1968. Sirhan was subdued at the scene and taken into custody.
Trial and imprisonment
Sirhan was tried and convicted of murder; in 1969 he received a death sentence, which was later changed to life imprisonment when California’s capital punishment statutes were altered in the early 1970s. He has been incarcerated since his conviction and has undergone multiple parole hearings over the decades, without release.
Later events
- Sirhan has been held at several state facilities; his current incarceration is at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.
- On August 30, 2019, he was stabbed by another inmate and required medical attention; reports indicate he survived the attack and returned to custody.
The circumstances of the assassination have prompted persistent questions and alternative theories about whether Sirhan acted alone. These debates continue to be discussed by historians, journalists, and investigators.