After more than 30 years in prison, Erik Menendez was denied parole by a California board that decided he still poses a risk to public safety. Now Lyle, his older brother who was convicted alongside him for the murder of their parents decades ago, will have his own chance to argue for release.
The brothers got the chance to face the California Board of Parole after being resentenced in May, from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Erik’s parole hearing lasted nearly 10 hours as officials questioned him on his rehabilitation and listened to arguments from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office against his release, as well as pleas from members of his family in favor of it.
The board ultimately decided Erik would continue to “pose an unreasonable risk to public safety” if released, listing his teenage criminal history, the brutality of the 1989 killings and “serious violations” of prison rules. He may be eligible for parole again in three years, the board said.
Parole Commissioner Robert Barton said while explaining the decision that the seriousness of the past crime is “not a primary reason for this denial. It’s still your behavior in prison.”
