Erik And Lyle Menendez Denied Parole: What’s Next For The Brothers

It’s dashed hopes for Erik and Lyle Menendez, family members that want them home, and fans who are sympathetic to the brothers’ cause. It was sensational when their case was taken to the courts in the ’90s and it is still to lose its allure today.

There is something, I think, about two brothers, then 18 and 21, marching into their father’s mansion and killing him and his wife that just stimulates the mind. Of course, they plead that inheriting their father’s vast wealth was not the reason they did it.

Though that was the angle the police favored. Their story was that they did it out of fear, after surviving several years of sexual abuse at the hands of their own father as children.

Their mother Kitty’s silence during the whole situation earned her the same death sentence as her husband.

Jose and Kitty Menendez may be gone, but their murders still haunt the very two who committed it. Here’s everything we know about the court’s decision to deny the brothers parole and how soon they can get their case in front of a judge again.

Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Parole Hearings Denied

Erik Menendez’s parole hearing came a day before his elder brother’s. After a nearly 10-hour virtual hearing – both brothers attended the hearing remotely from the San Diego prison where they have been incarcerated for years – the parole board denied Erik’s parole plea.

Commissioner Robert Barton said Erik, now 54, “continued to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety” and further criticized his treatment of fellow inmates.

Lyle’s parole denial judgement was perhaps a lot less harsh than his brother’s, with Commissioner Julie Garland calling Lyle a model inmate in many aspects.

“We find your remorse is genuine,” Garland said. “But despite those positives, we see you still struggle with deception, minimization, and rule-breaking.”

His counts of rule-breaking involve the possession of drugs and a cellphone. For the cellphone count, Lyle defended his actions by arguing that prison guards had sold his monitored communications to tabloids, leaving him no choice but to resort to using a phone to protect his privacy.

Despite this, Lyle has reportedly contributed to projects that will not only improve his mental health but that of other inmates as well.

What’s Next For Erik and Lyle Menendez?

This is just another stumbling block on the brothers’ mission to ensure they do not spend the rest of their lives in prison.

Despite the new evidences – like the letter young Erik wrote to a cousin of his describing their father’s sexually abusive behavior – the brothers will have to wait for at least 18 months before their case can be presented to a jury again.

But what do you know? If California Governor Gavin Newsom decides to step in, things could happen quicker than expected.

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with the Menendez Brothers right now. Come back here often for all Menendez Brothers spoilers, news, and updates.