Erik and Lyle Menendez Granted Early Parole Suitability Hearing Set for March 2027

LOS ANGELES — Erik and Lyle Menendez have been granted an earlier parole suitability hearing, with the proceeding tentatively set for March 2027.

The Menendez brothers were originally ordered to spend the rest of their lives in prison without the chance of parole after being convicted in the 1989 killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

For years, members of the Menendez family have advocated for the brothers to be resentenced and eventually released. That effort led to a major shift in May 2025, when Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced to 50 years to life, opening the door for parole eligibility.

Their bid for release hit a setback in August 2025, when the parole board denied them parole, citing prison rule violations that included illegal cellphones. Erik Menendez was also reportedly connected at one point to a prison gang. Although relatives have described the brothers as model inmates, the board found that their prison conduct made them unsuitable for parole at that time.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released the following statement:

“Our position remains the same whether it’s 2027, 2028 or any year after. If the Menendez brothers stop committing violations of the prison’s rules and fully accept responsibility for, and own up to, all the lies they’ve told for over 30 years, including their biggest lie, the self-defense defense, then they may be amenable to being released on parole.”

The brothers were previously eligible to apply for a hearing with the California Board of Parole in August 2028.

“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,” the family of Erik and Lyle Menendez told ABC News-owned station KABC in a statement.

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The family said the brothers have established a hospice program and have launched a beautification project during their more than three decades in prison.

“Erik and Lyle were once sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. 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,” the family’s statement continued.

During trial in 1993, prosecutors alleged that the brothers — who went on a spending spree after the slayings — killed their wealthy parents for financial gain.

The defense argued the siblings acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father.

The juries for Erik and Lyle Menendez were deadlocked, and mistrials were declared for both cases, but a second trial in 1996 — during which the judge barred much of the sex abuse evidence — led to convictions of first-degree murder and two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole.

ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.