The Menendez brothers are set to make their circumstances for parole beginning Thursday, marking the closest they’ve been to profitable freedom from jail since their convictions nearly 30 years in the past for murdering their mother and father.
Erik and Lyle Menendez had been sentenced in 1996 to life in jail for fatally capturing their father, Jose Menendez, and mom, Kitty Menendez, of their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.
They had been 18 and 21 on the time. Whereas protection attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors mentioned the brothers killed their mother and father for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
The brothers grew to become eligible for parole after a Los Angeles decide in Could decreased their sentences from life in jail with out the potential of parole to 50 years to life, making them instantly eligible for parole below California legislation as a result of they had been below the age of 26 once they dedicated their crimes.
A panel of two or three parole listening to officers from a board of commissioners appointed by the governor will consider the brothers individually. Erik Menendez can have his listening to Thursday morning, adopted by Lyle Menendez on Friday, over videoconference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
The board will assess whether or not the brothers pose an “unreasonable threat of hazard to society” if launched, contemplating components like legal historical past, motivation for the crime, and indicators of regret, habits whereas in jail, and plans for the longer term, based on the California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Even when the board grants their parole, it may nonetheless be months earlier than the brothers stroll free — if in any respect. If the board grants every brother’s parole, the chief authorized counsel has 120 days to evaluate the case.
Then Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. Solely then, if Newsom affirms the parole, would the Menendez brothers be capable of depart jail.
Newsom had beforehand ordered the state parole board to conduct a threat evaluation of the brothers in response to a clemency request. On the time, he emphasised that the important thing query was whether or not the brothers posed an “unreasonable threat to public security.”
Learn extra on the Menendez brothers’ case
He famous at a Could information convention that he has each accredited and rejected selections by the parole board earlier than and that he was the “final arbiter.”
The brothers’ lawyer, Mark Geragos, sought launch final month for Erik Menendez after he was hospitalized for a “critical medical situation.” He has since returned to jail.
The case has captured the eye of true crime fans for many years and spawned documentaries, tv specials and dramatizations. The Netflix drama “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ” and the documentary “The Menendez Brothers,” each launched in 2024, have been credited for bringing new consideration to the brothers.
Within the final yr, weigh-ins from celebrities reminiscent of Kim Kardashian and a larger recognition of the brothers as victims of sexual abuse have helped amass a legion of supporters who’ve referred to as for his or her launch.
Some have flown to Los Angeles over the previous few months, holding rallies and attending courtroom hearings because the brothers’ attorneys pushed for his or her resentencing.
The earlier LA County district lawyer, George Gascón, first opened the door to potential freedom for the brothers final fall by asking a decide to scale back their sentences.
Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an training, participated in self-help lessons and began numerous assist teams for fellow folks in jail, his workplace mentioned in a petition.
The decide’s resolution to finally resentence the brothers adopted months of pushback from present prosecutors, who argued the brothers hadn’t taken satisfactory accountability for his or her crimes.
The Menendez brothers nonetheless have a pending habeas corpus petition filed in Could 2023 searching for a evaluate of their convictions primarily based on new proof supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father.
Final month, a special decide ordered Los Angeles prosecutors to clarify why their case shouldn’t be reexamined.
The state corrections division has chosen one media consultant to view the proceedings nearly and share notes with the remainder of the press at set intervals.
