The California Board of Parole granted Erik and Lyle Menendez an early parole suitability hearing after decades of appeals and repeated denials of freedom. The Menendez brothers were convicted separately in 1996 for the double murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion.
New Parole Hearing
The parole board tentatively set the Menendez brothers’ hearing for March 2027, a year earlier than the originally expected August 2028 date. The bonded pair were previously eligible for a parole suitability hearing in August 2025, but both were denied after a lengthy hearing.
“For almost 40 years, Erik and Lyle have worked to take responsibility for their actions, confront and heal from the unimaginable abuse and trauma they endured, grow as individuals, and dedicate themselves to serving others,” said a statement sent to PEOPLE from the Menendez family.
Infamous Murder Trials
The Menendez brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez, who were fatally shot inside their home on August 20, 1989. Lyle and Erik initially claimed that their parents’ deaths were a result of a home invasion gone wrong.
It was not until the following year, when Erik confessed to his therapist about the murders, that the two were arrested and charged. Their names and case became notorious; it became one of the most high-profile trials ever. They alleged their father physically, mentally, and sexually abused them, and their mother allowed it, and they snapped.
However, prosecutors argued that the brothers were driven by greed and wanted their family’s fortune for themselves. They cited the events that immediately took place after the murders, such as the boys going on a lavish spending spree.
Nonetheless, the two were convicted, and many questioned whether the boys were actually abused, or if they were using it as a last-minute defense in an attempt to save their lives.
New Life Sentences
The Menendez brothers’ defense team filed a habeas corpus petition in May 2023 with a new piece of evidence: an affidavit signed by a former boy band member alleging sexual assault by Jose Menendez. Roy Rosselló alleged that Jose raped him in the 1980s while he was working under LIVE Entertainment (formerly International Video Entertainment).
The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the murders, received a new sentence in 2025 following the newly admitted evidence and were given 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole.
Another Chance at Freedom
Although they were both denied last August for early release due to their past behaviors in prison, such as illegal cellphones and alleged gang violence, this newly scheduled parole hearing has brought hope and relief to them and their family.
The Menendez brothers are currently incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. If they are granted parole, it will be the first in three decades that they step outside the prison walls.
“We will always be profoundly grateful that they have been resentenced and that our family can now imagine a future in which they are once again part of our everyday lives,” according to the family statement.
“Time together is something none of us can take for granted, particularly as the elderly members of our family, including their aunts Joan, Terry, and Marta, grow older and face serious health challenges.”
“We are incredibly proud of the men they have become and deeply grateful to the Parole Board for recognizing their efforts and allowing them to advance their parole hearing,” the statement continued.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
