After more than three decades behind bars for the 1989 murder of their parents, this week Erik and Lyle Menendez are finally standing before a California parole board in separate, virtual hearings that — after a series of revelations, an online rally and multiple TV series based on their cases — could chart a path toward their release.
Erik Menendez, now 54, is appearing via video link from Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego. He will be facing a two- to three-person panel of parole commissioners and will be presenting his case for release under the resentenced term of 50 years to life — which in July was reduced down from his original without-parole sentence in 1996.
His defense, led by frequent Hollywood attorney Mark Geragos, is emphasizing Erik’s years of rehabilitation and remorse and his big contributions to prison programming, including support initiatives for elderly inmates. Family members, correctional staff and even formerly incarcerated individuals are expected to testify or submit letters to bolster his transformation — a strategy that comes out of their emotionally charged resentencing hearing.
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Some lingering missteps do shadow Erik and Lyle Menendez’s bid for their freedom. In prison, both brothers have been cited for contraband cell phone possession — recent violations that defense lawyers acknowledge could undercut their credibility before the board. Meanwhile, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman remains resolute in his opposition, asserting the brothers “have never fully accepted responsibility” and that their narrative of self-defense remains a fabricated cover for murder driven by financial incentive.
Friday will bring Lyle Menendez’s video-conference hearing, also from San Diego — before a fresh set of commissioners and separate D.A.’s counsel. While his defense strategy and institutional context mirror that of his brother, the elder brother’s individual demeanor and record in custody may shape a different outcome.
Family members, notably the “Justice for Erik and Lyle” coalition, remain cautiously optimistic. In a statement issued ahead of the hearings, they rallied around sustaining decades of remorse, accountability and personal growth — and called on the board to consider the humanity behind case files.
If either brother is granted parole, their case will undergo a 120-day legal review by the board’s chief counsel. California Gov. Gavin Newsom — who has expressly avoided Netflix dramatizations of the case to keep his judgment unclouded — will then have 30 days to uphold, modify or overturn the recommendation. Should parole be denied, California law mandates a waiting period of three to 15 years before they can petition again, though the exact interval depends on the board’s decision.
These parole board hearings mark the first time the Menendez brothers — convicted in 1996 for the notorious 1989 murders of their parents — have faced a parole board after their controversial convictions at their second trial, where their defense strategy was kneecapped by the judge. Thanks to a resentencing judge’s ruling in May and based on their youthful ages at the time of the crime, the brothers are finally eligible for release under California’s youthful offender provisions.
Public and cultural fascination in the Menendez case was reignited by the 2024 Netflix drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and a recent documentary, and their popularity underscores the case’s enduring resonance. Simultaneously, a habeas corpus petition invoking new evidence — including an unearthed letter that seems to confirm they were being sexually abused by their father, Jose Menendez, and that as they claimed, their mother, Kitty Menendez, knew all along as well as testimony from a former Menudo member alleging abuse by the brothers’ father — continues to unfold as a parallel legal avenue.
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