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3w ago

Parole Denied for Erik and Lyle Menendez After Back-to-Back Hearings

Panels cited prison misconduct, questioning their insight into the 1989 murders.

Erik Menendez appears virtually for his parole board hearing from the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
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This combination of two booking photos provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez. (California Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Overview

  • California parole commissioners denied Erik Menendez on Aug. 21 and Lyle Menendez on Aug. 22, ordering at least a three-year wait before the next review.
  • Commissioner Robert Barton said Erik posed an unreasonable risk to public safety, pointing to a record of rule violations including cellphone use, drugs, aiding a gang tax scheme and incidents of violence.
  • The brothers became eligible for parole after a May resentencing reduced their terms from life without parole to 50 years to life under youthful‑offender rules.
  • Both hearings were conducted by videoconference from the San Diego prison, were closed to the public with one pool reporter, and the identities of panel members were not disclosed by state corrections officials.
  • Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman opposed release, and any future parole grant would undergo board legal review and then a 30‑day decision window for Governor Gavin Newsom.