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Lyle Menendez to face California parole board after brother Erik denied freedom Lyle Menendez to face California parole board after brother Erik denied freedom
(about 3 hours later)
Erik will be eligible again in three years; the two brothers have spent 30 years in prison for the murder of their parentsErik will be eligible again in three years; the two brothers have spent 30 years in prison for the murder of their parents
A timeline of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case over the last three decadesA timeline of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case over the last three decades
Lyle Menendez is set to face a California parole board a day after his brother was denied freedom after spending 30 years in prison for the slayings of their parents inside their California mansion. Lyle Menendez is set to face a California parole board a day after his brother Erik was denied freedom after spending 30 years in prison for the slayings of their parents inside their California mansion.
A panel of two California commissioners denied Erik Menendez parole for three years, after which he will be eligible again, in a case that continues to fascinate the public. A parole hearing for his brother, Lyle Menendez, who is being held at the same prison in San Diego, is scheduled for Friday morning. A panel of two California commissioners on Thursday denied Erik Menendez parole, despite strong support from family members who have advocated for the brothers’ release.
The commissioners determined that Erik Menendez should not be freed after an all-day hearing during which they questioned him about why he committed the crime and violated prison rules. The commissioners took hours decide. Robert Barton, one of the commissioners, said the primary reason for the decision was not the seriousness of the brothers’ crime but Erik Menendez‘s behavior in prison.
“Two things can be true. They can love and forgive you, and you can still be found unsuitable for parole,” Barton said.
The Menendez brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for killing their father, José Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time. Defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.The Menendez brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for killing their father, José Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time. Defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
Erik Menendez was denied parole on Thursday by a California board that said his continued misbehavior during decades in prison for murdering his parents with his older brother in 1989 showed he is still a risk to public safety. Erik was denied parole for three years, after which he will be eligible again.
The board rejected parole despite strong support from family members who have advocated for the brothers’ release for months. “Two things can be true. They can love and forgive you, and you can still be found unsuitable for parole,” commissioner Robert Barton said. At Thursday’s hearing, the commissioners questioned Erik Menendez about why he committed the crime and violated prison rules.
Barton said the primary reason for the decision was not the seriousness of the crime but Erik Menendez’s behavior in prison. His repeated breaking of prison rules by using a cellphone was “selfish” and a sign of he believed that rules don’t apply to him, Barton said to Erik Menendez, who was clearly visibly hurt by the decision but listened intently. In his testimony, he offered the 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 20 August 1989.“Today is August 21. 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 commissioners scrutinized every rules violation and fight on his lengthy prison record, including allegations that he worked with a prison gang, bought drugs, used cellphones and helped with a tax scam.He told commissioners that since he had no hope of ever getting out then, he prioritized protecting himself over following the rules. Then last fall, Los Angeles prosecutors asked a judge to resentence him and his brother – opening the door to parole.
A particular sticking point for the commissioners was his use of cellphones.
“What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone,” Menendez said.
Nathan Hochman, the Los Angeles county district attorney, said ahead of the parole hearings that he opposes parole for the brothers because of their lack of insight.
His repeated breaking of prison rules by using a cellphone was “selfish” and a sign of he believed that rules don’t apply to him, Barton said to Erik Menendez, who was visibly hurt by the decision but listened intently.
Lyle Menendez is set to appear by videoconference from the same San Diego jail where Erik is held on Friday for his parole hearing. The brothers still have a pending habeas corpus petition filed in May 2023 seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father.
Associated Press contributed reporting