Two Days, Two Denials: Menendez Brothers Rejected for Parole

Erik Denied After 10-Hour Hearing; Lyle Rebuffed the Next Day

Erik Menendez, convicted along with his brother in the 1989 killings of their parents in Beverly Hills, was denied parole Thursday during his first hearing before California’s Board of Parole Hearings. The hearing lasted 10 hours, and Erik Menendez was described by LA Times reporter James Queally as being visibly disappointed by the ruling. 

Erik Menendez will again be eligible for parole in 2028. 

Parole was denied Friday to Lyle Menendez, one of two brothers convicted in the 1989 shotgun killings of their parents in Beverly Hills, during his first appearance before California’s Board of Parole Hearings.

The panel set his next eligibility at three years but said the case will receive an administrative review within a year and could be advanced to a new hearing in as soon as 18 months. Menendez, who grew emotional and cried during closing remarks, spoke about Aug. 20,  the date he and his brother, Erik, killed their parents.

Because the board did not recommend release, Menendez remains incarcerated. Under California law, Gov. Gavin Newsom may review parole decisions within 30 days; if no action is taken, the board’s ruling stands.

Relatives of the brothers called the outcome “not the end of the road,” noting both men will return before the board and that their habeas petition remains pending.

The parole ruling marks a pivotal moment in one of California’s most notorious murder cases. The Menendez brothers’ trial, broadcast nationally in the 1990s, riveted the public with its shocking testimony and claims of long-term abuse.

Both men were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole until they were resentenced earlier this year under the youthful offender law. As of 6:30 p.m. on Friday, a decision has not been rendered by the panel overseeing Lyle Menendez’s hearing. 

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has strongly opposed parole or prison release for the brothers and has issued several press releases on the subject. However, most of the extended members of the Menendez family, including close relatives to the brothers, support their release.