Erik and Lyle Menendez have been granted an early parole suitability hearing, tentatively scheduled for March 2027. The brothers were originally sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.
Relatives of the brothers had advocated for years for resentencing and release. In May 2025, Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, making them eligible for parole. This new sentencing date moved up their potential parole eligibility.
Previously, the brothers were eligible to apply for a hearing with the California Board of Parole in August 2028. However, they were denied parole in August 2025 due to prison violations, including possession of illegal cellphones. Erik Menendez was also reportedly linked to a prison gang at one time. The parole board cited their conduct in prison as the reason for deeming them not suitable for parole, despite claims from their family that they were 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," the family of Erik and Lyle Menendez stated. The family highlighted that during their more than three decades in prison, the brothers have established a hospice program and launched a beautification project.
"Erik and Lyle were once sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. We will always be profoundly grateful that they have been resentenced and that our family can now imagine a future in which they are once again part of our everyday lives," the family's statement continued.
During the initial trial in 1993, prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their wealthy parents for financial gain, citing a spending spree after the slayings. The defense contended that the siblings acted in self-defense, alleging years of sexual abuse by their father. The first trials resulted in deadlocked juries and mistrials. A second trial in 1996, during which the judge excluded much of the sex abuse evidence, led to convictions of first-degree murder and two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole.