Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he’ll make the decision if Erik and Lyle Menendez are suitable for parole by Labor Day for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. 

Ahead of the Menendez brothers’ parole hearing on Aug. 21 and 22, Newsom discussed the case Sunday with “Monsters” creator Ryan Murphy on his podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom.” 

The governor holds the final say and is expected to make a decision by Labor Day if the parole board recommends release.

“That’s heavy stuff,” Murphy said. 

Newsom acknowledged the moral debate surrounding the case.

“The flip side is I’ve had people say, ‘What good can come from sending a message that you can kill both of your parents and be released?’”

He also pointed out that many serving sentences don’t have the same level of access to high-profile advocates or opportunities as the Menendez brothers do. At the same time, he added, others who have committed even more severe crimes have been granted parole and served less time.

“It’s a very slippery slope, and it’s a really hard road, and I feel for you,” Murphy said.

An undated photo of the Menendez family as it appears on-screen during a panel at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, June 2. (Fox News Digital)

In August 1989, Beverly Hills socialites José and Kitty Menendez were shot to death in their home. 

Hochman previously called the murders “mafia-like hits,” remarking on the violent nature of the repeated rounds that were fired at the parents.

The brothers, then 18 and 21, were convicted in 1996. 

The defense’s assertion was that the brothers had been driven to violence by years of physical and sexual abuse at their father’s hands. 

Despite the first trial resulting in a hung juror, leading to their eventual conviction in 1996, the public has remained divided on whether the brothers acted in greed or in self-defense.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.