Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, have been granted an earlier parole suitability hearing. The California Board of Parole has tentatively scheduled the hearing for March 2027. Previously, the brothers were eligible to apply for another hearing in August 2028.
The earlier hearing was granted under a provision of Proposition 9, a 2008 California law that amended the state Constitution. This provision allows for parole hearing dates to be moved up if there is a change in circumstances or new information suggesting suitability for parole. It is unclear if new information has emerged, but family members have stated that Lyle, 58, and Erik, 55, have been model prisoners.
"For almost 40 years, Erik and Lyle have worked to take responsibility for their actions, confront and heal from the unimaginable abuse and trauma they endured, grow as individuals and dedicate themselves to serving others," a family spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson added that the brothers have worked to establish programs, including a hospice program and Green Space, to create an environment that reminds inmates serving life sentences that their lives have meaning.
The family expressed profound gratitude for the resentencing that now allows them to envision a future with Erik and Lyle. They stated that the parole board's decision to advance the hearing date brings them "immeasurable joy."
The Menendez brothers have been incarcerated since their arrest for the August 20, 1989, shooting deaths of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion. They were 18 and 21 at the time of the murders.
Prosecutors argued that the motive was greed, as the brothers stood to inherit $14 million and had spent significant sums of money after the killings. Erik purchased a Jeep and a tennis instructor, while Lyle bought a Porsche and a restaurant. The brothers were also seen at an NBA game between the murders and their arrest.
Conversely, the brothers claimed they acted in self-defense against their father, who they alleged sexually abused them for years, and their mother, who they claimed enabled the abuse.
An initial trial resulted in a hung jury. However, in a second trial in 1996, the brothers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. This conviction occurred after the judge disallowed evidence of the alleged abuse.
Nearly 30 years later, a judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life, making them eligible for release. Despite this, the California Board of Parole denied them parole for three years last year, citing rule violations.
During his parole hearing last August, Erik stated that he bought firearms for self-protection, fearing his parents. He also explained his inability to run away or report the abuse by saying he believed "leaving meant death." When questioned about his mother's death, Erik became emotional, stating that her awareness of the abuse was a "devastating moment" that changed everything, leading him to see both parents as one entity.
Erik also acknowledged their post-murder spending spree as an "incredibly callous act" and apologized to his family, expressing a desire for their healing to be the focus if he were granted freedom.
At Lyle's parole hearing days later, Parole Commissioner Julie Garland cited his "deception, minimization and rule breaking." She encouraged Lyle to use the time to "demonstrate, to practice what you preach about who you are, who you want to be."