Lyle Menendez has been denied parole decades after he and his brother were convicted of the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in Beverly Hills.
The 57-year-old appeared via video conference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego for his parole hearing on Friday, Aug. 22.
“While we are of course disappointed by today’s decision, we are not discouraged,” the Menendez family said in a statement. “The process for parole is exceptionally rigorous, but we are incredibly proud of how Erik and Lyle showed up — with honesty, accountability, and integrity.
“This is not the end of the road. Both will go before the Board again, and their habeas petition remains under review. In the meantime, we know they will take time to reflect on the Board’s recommendations and will continue to lead, mentor, and build programs that support rehabilitation and hope for others,” the statement continued. “We know they are good men who have done the work to rehabilitate and are remorseful. We love them unconditionally and will continue to stand by them on the journey ahead.”
The decision follows a similar outcome for Lyle’s younger brother, Erik Menendez, 54, who was denied parole just one day earlier. Parole Commissioner Robert Barton said Erik had not been a “model prisoner” and described the brothers’ killings as “devoid of human compassion,” according to The New York Times.
Lyle and Erik have been behind bars for more than 30 years after their 1996 conviction for murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in August 1989 at their $5 million Beverly Hills home.
The brothers have long maintained that they acted in self-defense, claiming they feared for their lives due to years of sexual abuse by José Menendez, with Kitty allegedly aware, and threats that José made against them if they revealed the abuse. Prosecutors, however, argued that the killings were motivated by greed, pointing to the brothers’ extravagant spending spree following the murders.
Lyle and Erik were initially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In May, a judge resentenced the brothers to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole because they were under 26 at the time of the killings—Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18.
