Parole denied for Menendez brothers in parents’ murder case

An inmate review panel in California has denied parole for Joseph Lyle Menendez, just one day after his younger brother, Erik, was also ordered to remain in prison.

The decision on Friday means Lyle, now 57, will continue serving time for the murder of his parents more than three decades ago.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Lyle was “denied parole for three years at his initial suitability hearing today.” On Thursday, the parole board similarly rejected parole for Erik, 54. Both will be eligible for new hearings in three years.

The rulings follow a Los Angeles judge’s decision in May to reduce the brothers’ sentences to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole. They were originally sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 shotgun killings of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, inside their Beverly Hills mansion.

The Menendez case drew national attention in the 1990s. Prosecutors argued the brothers murdered their parents to inherit their multimillion-dollar estate, while the defense maintained the killings were an act of self-defense after years of alleged abuse.

Convicted of first-degree murder in 1996, the brothers have spent nearly three decades behind bars. Renewed attention on the case, including a Netflix documentary and California’s youth offender law, helped pave the way for their resentencing earlier this year.

At Erik’s hearing, commissioners cited his history of misconduct in prison, including rules violations. Lyle, by contrast, reportedly wept during his appearance and accepted responsibility for the murders. Still, a board commissioner said that while both brothers expressed remorse, they had not demonstrated full accountability.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office opposed parole for both men.