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Erik Menendez should stay behind bars for now, a parole hearing panel decided 36 years after he and his brother Lyle Menendez killed their parents.
California officials denied Erik’s parole request on Thursday, deciding after a full-day hearing that the imprisoned murderer will remain behind bars.
Erik, 54, will be able to seek parole again in three years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed to .
Erik’s parole decision, announced Thursday evening around 6:45 p.m. PT following an extensive hearing, is still under review. It will undergo a detailed examination involving the California Board of Parole and the governor, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. A transcript of the hearing will be prepared as part of this review.
What’s next for Erik Menendez?
The outcome of the parole hearing is considered a preliminary decision, pending further evaluation by the board’s chief counsel. The decision remains unless there are findings of legal errors, factual inaccuracies, or new evidence that could significantly alter the decision upon rehearing, as noted by the CDCR.
The board has up to 120 days after the hearing to conduct a review of the decision.
Lyle’s parole hearing is likely to have a similar result as Erik’s. When questioned about the possibility of different parole outcomes for the brothers, legal analyst Royal Oakes told NBC Los Angeles that such an occurrence would be “highly improbable.”
The analyst pointed out that differing legal representation might lead to claims that Erik, being the younger brother, was under his older brother’s influence. “However, both brothers share the same legal team,” Oakes commented.
How parole became a possibility for the Menendez brothers
The Menendez brothers were found guilty of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, with a shotgun in 1989. They are currently held at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, California.
For more than 30 years, the brothers were both serving life sentences without the opportunity of parole after being convicted of first-degree murder in a second highly publicized trial that ended in March of 1996.
The path to the parole hearings was cleared earlier this year when a judge resentenced the brothers from life in prison without the possibility of parole, to 50 years to life in prison, reported NBC Los Angeles.
Judge Michael Jesic ruled in May of 2025 that the brothers’ sentences should be reduced to life sentences with the possibility of parole, citing the fact that Lyle and Erik were just 21 and 18 years old, respectively, at the time of the murders.
The possibility for parole for Erik and Lyle followed Jesic’s ruling, though the California Parole Board and governor will ultimately make the final determination.
The parole board takes many factors into consideration when making their determination, including time served and credits for good behavior.
Additionally, the parole board reviewed statements from victims’ family members, the district attorney, and other sources to determine if the “incarcerated person currently poses an unreasonable risk of danger to society if released from prison,” according to the parole board.
A number of members of the Menendez family have voiced support for the brothers’ release, in addition to members of the public and some celebrities, including Kim Kardashian.
Erik’s parole hearing decision followed a brief hospitalization this summer for a condition reported as kidney stones.
Erik’s wife, Tammi, whom he married while he was incarcerated, shared a message in support of her husband prior to his parole hearing.
“Wishing my amazing husband all the love and strength for his parole hearing tomorrow,” Tammi Menendez posted on X. “I believe in you and can’t wait for this new chapter together. You’ve got this!”
For now, Erik will stay in prison.
