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The Menendez brothers continue to seek their release from prison 36 years after they shot and killed their parents.
Erik, 54, and Lyle Menendez, 57, are set to appear before the California parole board later this month as part of their latest bid for freedom. The brothers are currently incarcerated for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, Calif.
For more than 30 years, the brothers were both serving life sentences without the opportunity of parole after being convicted of first-degree murder in a second highly publicized trial that ended in March of 1996. But Judge Michael Jesic ruled in May 2025 that the brothers’ sentences should be reduced to life sentences with the possibility of parole, citing the fact that Lyle and Erik were just 21 and 18 years old, respectively, at the time of the murders.
Keep reading to learn more about the Menendez brothers’ ongoing efforts and to find out when their parole hearings are.
Can the Menendez brothers be paroled?
Erik and Lyle Menendez can now be paroled following Jesic’s ruling, though the California Parole Board will ultimately make the final determination.
The parole board takes many factors into consideration when making their determination, including time served and credits for good behavior. Additionally, the parole board will review statements from victims’ family members, the district attorney, and other sources to determine if the “incarcerated person currently poses an unreasonable risk of danger to society if released from prison,” according to the parole board.
If the parole board denies parole, the offender is able to appeal the decision. If the parole board agrees to parole, the decision will be sent to the governor’s office, in this case the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will also be able to affirm, reverse, modify, or refer the case back to the board depending on his assessment.
Multiple members of the Menendez family have voiced support for the brothers’ release, in addition to members of the public and some celebrities, like Kim Kardashian.
When are the Menendez brothers’ parole hearings?
Erik, who is on the mend following a brief hospitalization, is set to appear before the parole board on Thursday, Aug. 21, while Lyle’s hearing is set for the following day, Friday, Aug. 22.
The brothers are also making a bid for new trials related to their parents’ killings. They filed a petition for habeas corpus in the hopes of having a new trial which includes new evidence of the alleged abuse Erik and Lyle experienced at the hands of their father, Jose. Such evidence includes a letter Erik wrote to his cousin, Andy Cano, in the 1980s in which he details being abused.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has opposed the brothers’ efforts. Most recently, he wrote in a statement that the new letter does not justify a third trial, according to ABC7 News.
“The central defense of the Menendez brothers at trial has always been self-defense, not sexual abuse,” Hochman’s statement reads. “The jury rejected this self-defense defense in finding them guilty of the horrific murders they perpetrated; five different appellate state and federal courts have affirmed those convictions, and nothing in the so-called ‘new’ evidence challenges any of those determinations.”
“Our opposition to this ‘Hail Mary’ effort to obtain a new trial over 30 years later makes clear that justice, the facts, and the law demand the convictions stand,” Hochman continued.
To learn more about the case, watch Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed on Peacock.
