Erik Menendez denied parole
A state parole board panel Thursday rejected a bid for parole by Erik Menendez, who has served about 35 years behind bars along with his brother Lyle for the 1989 murder of their parents in Beverly Hills.
LOS ANGELES – A California parole board panel on Thursday, Aug. 21 voted to reject the release of Erik Menendez, who, alongside his brother Lyle, has spent more than 35 years behind bars for the murders of their parents in 1989.
A separate parole hearing for Lyle Menendez is set for Friday, Aug. 22.
What we know:
Because parole was denied, the panel must provide a reason for the denial and set a new hearing date.
The proposed decision of the hearing panel is not final until it goes through a review process by the Board of Parole Hearings.
If there is a tie, the full board will review the transcript and records to determine the outcome.
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If the parole grant stands, it is then sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom for final approval. The parole denial is for at least three years, but Erik Menendez can ask for an earlier hearing.
Why was parole denied?
What they’re saying:
After a hearing that lasted nearly 10 hours Thursday, Parole Commissioner Robert Barton told Erik Menendez, “I believe in redemption or I wouldn’t be doing this job — but based on the legal standards we find that you continue to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.”
Barton cited Erik Menendez’s “continued willingness to commit crimes and violate prison rules” and noted that the seriousness of the crime is “not a primary reason for this denial.”
“It’s still your behavior in prison,” he said, noting his violations of state prison rules involving cell phones.
‘This is a family tragedy,’ Erik says
Thursday’s hearing included hours of questioning of Erik Menendez about the murders and his relationship with his parents, along with his write-ups for numerous violations while in state prison.
“I just want my family to understand that I am so unimaginably sorry for what I have put them through from August 20, 1989 until this day, and this hearing. I know that they have been here for me and they’re here for me today, but I want them to know that this should be about them. It’s about them and if I ever get the chance at freedom I want the healing to be about them,” Erik Menendez told the panel as he wrapped up his comments to the parole board panel. “Don’t think it’s the healing of me. It’s the healing of the family. This is a family tragedy.”
In his closing statement to the panel, Habib Balian of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office lauded Erik Menendez’s efforts to improve himself, but questioned whether he understands “the full severity and depravity of his conduct” and whether his behavior has been “calculated” as a result of his chance to be released from prison.
“He’s on the road. He’s not there yet. He doesn’t have insight (into his crimes),” Balian said
The backstory:
The brothers are serving life sentences without parole for the murder of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in 1989.
Erik, then 18, and Lyle, then 21, claimed that the murders came after their father — the chief operating officer of RCA Records — sexually abused them for years and their mother ignored the abuse. They have maintained that they feared for their lives and that José had threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the alleged sexual abuse.
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Meanwhile, prosecutors said the two brothers’ motive was greed and cited their lavish spending spree after the murders.
In a 2023 court petition, attorneys for the brothers pointed to two new pieces of evidence they contend corroborate the brothers’ allegations of long-term sexual abuse at the hands of their father — a letter allegedly written by Erik to his cousin Andy Cano in early 1989 or late 1988, eight months before the August 1989 killings, and recent allegations by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, that he too was sexually abused by José as a teenager.
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The case has captured the attention of true crime enthusiasts for decades and spawned documentaries, television specials and dramatizations. The Netflix drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and the documentary “The Menendez Brothers,” both released in 2024, have been credited for bringing new attention to the brothers.
Final review
What’s next:
Under California law, in the cases of inmates convicted of murder, like the Menendez brothers, parole granted by the board is subject to review by the governor.
Newsom has the authority to affirm, modify, or reverse the parole decision during a review that can last up to 150 days.
His decision is the final step in the parole hearing process.
The Source: The information in this report is based on the outcome of a California parole board panel hearing regarding the Menendez brothers and previous FOX 11 reports. The details about the review process and the next steps are a matter of public record under California law. The Associated Press contributed.
