After greater than three a long time behind bars, Erik Menendez has formally been denied parole.
The 54-year-old appeared earlier than the California parole board on Thursday, August 21, the place the choice was made to maintain him in jail. In the meantime, his brother and codefendant, Lyle Menendez, will face his personal parole listening to on Friday, August 22, leaving his future unsure.
Following the ruling, Erik’s household shared their disappointment in an announcement. “Whereas we respect the choice, immediately’s final result was in fact disappointing and never what we hoped for,” relations stated in a ready assertion, in accordance with NewsNation. “However our perception in Erik stays unwavering and we all know he’ll take the Board’s advice in stride. His regret, progress, and the constructive affect he’s had on others communicate for themselves. We’ll proceed to face by him and maintain to the hope he is ready to return residence quickly.”
Earlier this week, the Menendez brothers’ longtime legal professional, Mark Geragos, spoke about how the parole course of works. “It’s a really interactive expertise, it’s very strong and one thing folks don’t notice: The parole board members that day will retire, deliberate and decide every day,” Geragos defined throughout an look on NewsNation’s Cuomo. “I might count on a choice on each of them individually, sequentially, and hopefully it’ll be a choice that provides them their freedom after nearly 36 years.”
Erik Menendez and Lyle Menendez.
Geragos argued that each brothers are prepared for launch, including that Erik and Lyle are “fascinating, intriguing and deserving of getting parole,” earlier than insisting, “They each ought to be out.”
The brothers’ case has fascinated the general public for many years. Erik and Lyle admitted to killing their dad and mom, José and Kitty Menendez, contained in the household’s Beverly Hills mansion in August 1989. On the time, they had been simply 18 and 21 years previous. Throughout their trials, the siblings claimed they acted in self-defense after enduring years of abuse, however prosecutors satisfied jurors in any other case. In 1996, each had been convicted of first-degree homicide and sentenced to life in jail with out parole.
Curiosity within the Menendez case was reignited in 2024, following the discharge of a Netflix documentary and dramatized collection. The renewed highlight prompted former Los Angeles District Legal professional George Gascón to advocate that the brothers be resentenced. In Might, a decide agreed to cut back their punishment to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole for the primary time in a long time.
However not everybody believes the brothers ought to be freed. Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles’ present district legal professional, strongly opposed their launch on the eve of their hearings.
“The Menendez brothers have by no means absolutely accepted duty for the horrific murders of their dad and mom, as an alternative persevering with to advertise a false narrative of self-defense that was rejected by the jury a long time in the past,” Hochman stated on Wednesday, August 20. “Now we have persistently opposed their launch as a result of they haven’t demonstrated full perception into their crimes or proven that they’ve been absolutely rehabilitated, and subsequently proceed to pose a danger to society. We’ll consider our closing place primarily based on the proof offered on the listening to.”
Hochman additionally pushed again towards the concept that documentaries or renewed public curiosity ought to play any position within the case. “Whereas latest documentaries and movies have drawn renewed consideration to this case, parole selections should be primarily based solely on the details and the legislation,” he stated. “This case, like all instances — particularly people who captivate the general public — should be seen with a vital eye. Justice ought to by no means be swayed by spectacle.”
