A California parole board denied Erik Menendez’s release on Thursday, Aug. 21, more than 36 years after he and his brother, Lyle, killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home—crimes for which they were originally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Erik, 54, appeared via videoconference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego for his parole hearing. Lyle, 57, is scheduled to appear before the parole board on Friday.
“While we respect the decision, today’s outcome was, of course, disappointing and not what we hoped for,” a spokesperson for Lyle and Erik Menendez said. “But our belief in Erik remains unwavering, and we know he will take the Board’s recommendation in stride. His remorse, growth, and the positive impact he’s had on others speak for themselves. We will continue to stand by him and hold to the hope he is able to return home soon.”
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“Tomorrow, we turn our attention to Lyle’s hearing,” the statement continued. “And while it is undoubtedly difficult, we remain cautiously optimistic and hopeful that the commissioner will see in Lyle what so many others have: a man who has taken responsibility, transformed his life, and is ready to come home.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman later praised the California Board of Parole Hearing’s decision, stating that it “does justice for Jose and Kitty Menendez, the victims of the brutal murders carried out by their sons on Aug. 20, 1989.” Hochman also noted that Erik will be eligible for parole again in three years.
Erik and Lyle were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for fatally shooting their parents, José Menendez and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time. Their attorneys argued the brothers acted in self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, which they claimed their mother knew about but failed to stop. Prosecutors contended that the killings were motivated by a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
At their first trial in 1993, the brothers were tried together with separate juries, both ending in mistrials. During the proceedings, the brothers described alleged sexual abuse by their father.
Their second trial restricted testimony and evidence regarding the alleged abuse, and cameras were prohibited. A jury convicted both brothers of murder, sentencing them to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
They became eligible for parole in May after a Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences from life without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. Under California law, this made them immediately eligible for parole because they were under 26 at the time of the crimes.
