The Menendez Brothers Were Just Denied Parole — Even With Renewed Attention on Whether Justice Was Really Served
The Menendez brothers will remain behind bars after being denied parole. Erik and Lyle Menendez are serving time for the murder of their parents Kitty and Jose in 1989. The murder in their Beverly Hills home shocked the nation. In recent years, renewed attention on the abuse the brothers faced galvanized supporters seeking to free them from prison. Despite the public pressure, the parole board ultimately decided to deny the brothers parole.
Erik and Lyle Menendez will continue their sentences in prison for now
The Menendez brothers faced the parole board last week in a bid for freedom after decades behind bars. Erik was the first of the brothers to face the parole board and spent 10 hours in the hearing on Thursday, Aug. 21. Members of the parole board denied Erik parole, citing various infractions committed while incarcerated.
The main infraction that the parole board focused on was his possession and use of a cell phone. By having a cell phone, commissioner Robert Barton deemed Erik as “selfish” and living as if the rules did not apply to him.
“What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone,” Erik told the parole board, according to CNN.
The board also questioned Erik’s connection with the Two Fivers gang while in prison. According to Erik, his involvement with the gang’s 2013 tax scheme was out of self-preservation. Erik stated that he was trying to survive a violent prison yard and saw friends get stabbed and raped. The Two Fivers asking for help, according to Erik, gave him a chance to survive.
Lyle’s parole hearing was met with frustration
As Lyle was finishing his parole hearing, audio from Erik’s parole hearing was released. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation claims that the audio was released in error. However, the brothers’ family and supporters were outraged by the oversight.
“This is disgusting,” Tiffani Lucero Pastor, one of Erik’s relatives, told the parole board. “You’ve misled the family, and now to compound matters, you’ve violated this family and their rights.”
Lyle, who faced the parole board on Friday, Aug. 22, also had cell phone infractions. According to Lyle, the cell phone was a connection to his wife as he was being transferred to a prison in San Diego. Additionally, he was aware of correctional officers monitoring his communications and believed it was being shared with tabloids.
“I had convinced myself that this wasn’t a means that was harming anyone but myself in a rule violation,” Lyle told the parole board. “I didn’t think it really disrupted prison management very much.”
The Menendez brothers will have to wait three years to apply for parole again
Both brothers received the same denial from the parole board. They will have to wait three years before they are eligible for parole again. This is the first time the Menendez brothers have been eligible for parole after a resentencing.
The Menendez brothers had their sentences changed to 50 years with the possibility of parole following the public attention to the case in recent years. Under the California youth offenders law, the brothers qualified for parole at this point. Supporters and family members are disappointed that the brothers were denied bail but have promised to keep fighting.
“People can have different views of this being a win or not,” Talia Menendez, Erki’s stepdaughter, posted to Instagram. “When you have been let down time and time again, the highest your hopes have ever been, watching your family get older and older, with NO VIOLENCE while incarcerated, things start to change. This is deeper than the surface level. Enough is enough.”
