The Menendez brothers are advancing towards their potential release from prison as they prepare for the upcoming challenge: a parole board hearing related to the 1989 murder of their parents in Beverly Hills. 

According to Sam Bassett, a criminal defense lawyer from Minton, Bassett, Flores & Carsey based in Austin, Texas, the focus will shift to California’s Parole Board and Governor Gavin Newsom. 

“There is no doubt that Newsom is doing some political calculus on this decision,” he said. 

Bassett believes that the Parole Board “will evaluate feedback from all involved parties, particularly the victims’ relatives,” consider the findings from the Comprehensive Risk Assessments (CRA), and expect the brothers to show genuine remorse and accountability.

“Many believe that such prior abuse is given much more weight now than it was in the 1990s, both legally and socially,” he said. 

The brothers are set to appear before the Parole Board via video on June 13, 2025, at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. 

The board will either recommend or veto the brothers’ release. Newsom has the final say over whether they should go free.