The older of the Menendez brothers, who killed their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion 36 years ago, has been denied parole a day after his younger sibling’s bid for freedom was also rejected.
Erik, 54, and Lyle Menendez, 57, were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the brutal murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989.
The pair were at the centre of a media firestorm in the 1990s when their case went to trial, and attention has refocused on the pair after multiple documentaries.
A California parole board ruled on Friday that Lyle was still a risk to public safety and should not be allowed to leave prison for at least three years.
His brother Erik received the same judgement on Thursday, in a crushing blow to the brothers’ decades-long fight for freedom.
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Why were the Menendez brothers denied parole?
After a lengthy hearing on Friday, commissioners decided he possessed ‘anti-social personality traits’ which made him unsuitable for release.
(Picture: AP)
Parole board member Julie Garland said ‘deception, minimisation and rule breaking’ belied the positive changes that Lyle has seemingly made while in prison.
This good work included getting a degree, mentoring inmates and helping sexual abuse survivors.
However parole board questioned Lyle about the gruesome murders, his time in prison and focused on his illicit cell phone use.
The panel said Lyle had near constant access to a mobile device, which are banned in prison, for years.
He even plead guilty to a mobile phone violation in March of this year.
Commissioner Garland said ‘incarcerated people who break rules’ are more likely to do the same when out of prison.
Brother Erik’s parole bid was rejected for similar reasons by a different panel on Thursday.
They judged the younger brother had not been the model prisoner lauded by his supporters, arguing that he is still a risk to public safety.
They also questioned Erik about the murders, his time behind bars and his involvement in two burglaries before the killings.
After the nearly all-day session, commissioner Robert Barton told Erik he was not ready for release.
Barton cited Erik’s ‘serious violations’ of prison rules, including possession of contraband cell phones and art supplies, two instances of violence and drug smuggling.
Barton said: ‘I believe in redemption, or I wouldn’t be doing this job. But based on the legal standards, we find that you continue to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.
‘Contrary to your supporters’ beliefs, you have not been a model prisoner and frankly, we find that a little disturbing.’
How long have they been in jail? – and are they in the same prison
Erik and Lyle were found guilty in a re-trial in 1996 and were sentenced to to life in prison.
Both appealed, but those were denied by the US District Court.
The brothers have now spent over 35 years behind bars for their parents’ murder.
The pair and their supporters have been campaigning for release after more than three decades behind bars.
Those efforts led a judge to reduce their sentences to 50 years to life with the possibility of parole in May.
This made them immediately eligible for parole because they committed the crime under the age of 26.
Lyle and Erik asked to be jailed in the same prison, but were split up by prison officials, which is standard practice for convicts who perpetrated crimes together.
It took until February 2018 for Lyle to be transferred from northern California’s Mule Creek State Prison to San Diego’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where Erik was locked up.
The brothers were then finally reunited, after having not seen each for over twenty years, two months later in April.
They reportedly burst into tears when Erik moved to the same unit as Lyle in the prison.
What happens next for the Menendez brothers?
Erik and Lyle’s hopes to walk free are not completely dashed.
They will be allowed to make their case again in front of a parole board in three years time.
Lyle was told that could be reduced to 18 months with good behaviour.
In the meantime, California Governor Gavin Newsom is also considering a separate request to grant the brothers clemency.
This could mean a reduced sentence or even a pardon, but would be politically risky for the ambitious governor.
A judge is also separately considering a request for a new trial of the brothers due to the discovery of additional evidence.
But a new court case is opposed by the Los Angeles district attorney’s office.
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