Erik Menéndez is in the hospital after being diagnosed with a serious medical condition.
His family confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday, July 22, that Menéndez, 54, was taken to an outside medical facility amid his health scare. According to a representative for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, who spoke to NBC News, Menéndez remains in fair condition.
Menéndez’s attorney Mark Geragos addressed the matter on Tuesday when he made a public request for California Governor Gavin Newsom to release his client immediately.
“I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. Erik is having a serious medical condition right now,” he told TMZ. “I am not going to violate HIPAA or attorney client privilege, but if there is anybody that should be furloughed — especially right now, a month before the hearing — it is Eric.”
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Geragos, 67, chose not to disclose details about whether Menéndez’s diagnosis is “life-threatening.” (The outlet subsequently confirmed that Menéndez is undergoing treatment for kidney stones.)
“Hopefully not,” the lawyer replied before confirming that Menéndez is “being treated right now,” adding, “It is a serious condition and I think he needs to be out to focus on the hearing. I don’t want to get in the weeds of the medical condition but I think that is the appropriate thing to do.”
Geragos continued: “I just think it is a serious condition and he should be medically furloughed so he can work with the parole attorney and be up to speed and be ready. It is the only fair and equitable thing to do.”
Erik and Lyle Menéndez are currently awaiting a parole hearing while serving out their sentences in California’s Donovan Correctional Facility. They were originally arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder. The siblings became persons of interest after their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, were found shot in their home.
Erik and Lyle, 57, ultimately admitted to killing their parents following years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. The Menéndez brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in 1996 after two high-profile trials.
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Following the release of Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters series late last year, Erik and Lyle saw a resurgence in support. During a hearing in May, Erik and Lyle were resentenced to 50 years to life, which now makes them eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law since they committed their crime under the age of 26. The state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison.
“I do worry and I think it is important that the seriousness of my crime not be minimized or diminished,” Erik said in Netflix’s 2024 documentary The Menéndez Brothers. “I went to the only person that had ever helped me and that had ever protected me. Then ultimately this happened because of me. Because I went to him. Then afterwards, he was arrested because of me. Because I couldn’t live with what I did, I couldn’t. I wanted to die. In a way, I did not protect Lyle. I got him into every aspect of this tragedy. Every aspect of this tragedy is my fault.”
Lyle, meanwhile, admitted he still blamed himself for the events that took place.
“For me, I never could escape that night. That night just floods back into your mind a lot,” he noted in the doc. “I never found understanding. I sometimes feel like I rescued Erik. But did I? Look at his life now. It feels impossible that I couldn’t do better. I couldn’t rescue all of us.”
