Erik Menendez has received a decision following his parole hearing while his brother Lyle’s fate still hangs in the balance.
Erik, 54, was denied parole at his hearing which took place on Thursday, August 21. Lyle’s hearing will take place on Friday, August 22.
“While we respect the decision, today’s outcome was of course disappointing and not what we hoped for,” Menendez family members said in a prepared statement, according to NewsNation on Thursday. “But our belief in Erik remains unwavering and we know he will take the Board’s recommendation in stride. His remorse, growth, and the positive impact he’s had on others speak for themselves. We will continue to stand by him and hold to the hope he is able to return home soon.”
Earlier this week, the brothers’ lawyer, Mark Geragos, spoke about the parole process on NewsNation’s Cuomo.
“It’s a very interactive experience, it’s very robust and something people don’t realize: The parole board members that day will retire, deliberate and make a decision each day,” Geragos said on NewsNation’s Cuomo earlier this week. “I would expect a decision on both of them separately, sequentially, and hopefully it’ll be a decision that gives them their freedom after almost 36 years.”
Timeline of Erik, Lyle Menendez’s Murder Case: From Arrest to Resentencing
Geragos added that Erik and Lyle are “fascinating, intriguing and deserving of getting parole,” insisting, “They both should be out.”
Erik and Lyle confessed to killing their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in August 1989 when the siblings were 18 and 21, respectively. Although they claimed self-defense due to abuse and fear for their own lives, Erik and Lyle were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Amid renewed interest in the case following the 2024 release of a Netflix documentary and series about the brothers, former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón recommended Erik and Lyle be resentenced. In May, a judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life, with the possibility of parole.
Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Murder Trial: Where Are The Key Players Now?
The day before the hearings began, Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles’ current district attorney, explained his opposition to Erik and Lyle’s release.
“The Menendez brothers have never fully accepted responsibility for the horrific murders of their parents, instead continuing to promote a false narrative of self-defense that was rejected by the jury decades ago,” Hochman said in a Wednesday, August 20, statement. “We have consistently opposed their release because they have not demonstrated full insight into their crimes or shown that they have been fully rehabilitated, and therefore continue to pose a risk to society. We will evaluate our final position based on the evidence presented at the hearing.”
Hochman emphasized that Erik and Lyle’s media resurgence should not impact the parole board’s ruling.
“While recent documentaries and films have drawn renewed attention to this case, parole decisions must be based solely on the facts and the law,” he continued. “This case, like all cases — especially those that captivate the public — must be viewed with a critical eye. Justice should never be swayed by spectacle.”
