Menendez brothers: Erik Menendez denied parole after seeking release from prison for parent’s murder

Erik Menendez has been denied parole, more than 30 years after being convicted of killing his parents alongside his brother Lyle.

Following decades of public debate, renewed attention through documentaries, and support from celebrities like Kim Kardashian, the California parole board proceedings marked the first real opportunity for the brothers to be released from prison.

They were sentenced to life behind bars in 1996 for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time.

A Los Angeles judge opened the door to freedom in May by giving the brothers a new sentence of 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under 26 when they committed their crimes.

Erik, now 54, participated via video from Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego on Thursday (local time), while Lyle, 57, will appear on Friday.

A panel of California commissioners on Thursday denied Erik parole for three years, after which he will be eligible again.

The two commissioners determined that Erik should not be freed after an all-day hearing during which they questioned him about why he committed the crime and violated prison rules.

They were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.

Erik made his case to two parole commissioners, offering his most detailed account in years of how he was raised, why he made the choices he did, and how he transformed in prison. He noted the hearing fell almost exactly 36 years after he killed his parents - on August 20, 1989.

“Today is August 21st. Today is the day that all of my victims learned my parents were dead. So today is the anniversary of their trauma journey,” he said, referring to his family members.

The state corrections department chose a single reporter to watch the videoconference and share details with the rest of the press.

Erik, grey-haired and spectacled, sat in front of a computer screen wearing a blue T-shirt over a white long-sleeve shirt in a photo shared by officials.

The panel of commissioners scrutinised every rules violation and fight on his lengthy prison record, including allegations that he worked with a prison gang, bought drugs, used mobile phones and helped with a tax scam.

He told commissioners that since he had no hope of ever getting out then, he prioritised protecting himself over following the rules. Then last autumn, LA prosecutors asked a judge to resentence him and his brother ? opening the door to parole.

“In November of 2024, now the consequences mattered,” he said.

“Now the consequences meant I was destroying my life.”

Erik’s parole attorney, Heidi Rummel, emphasised 2013 as the turning point for her client.

“He found his faith. He became accountable to his higher power. He found sobriety and made a promise to his mother on her birthday,” Rummel said.

“Has he been perfect since 2013? No. But he has been remarkable.”

More than a dozen of their relatives, who have advocated for the brothers’ release for months, delivered emotional statements at Thursday’s hearing via videoconference.

Earlier a statement from The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a support group that includes family members, said: “For more than 35 years, they have shown sustained growth. They have taken full accountability.”

“They express sincere remorse to our family to this day and have built a meaningful life defined by purpose and service,” the statement continued.

— with AAP