Menendez brothers granted early parole suitability hearing after denial last year, family says

Summer Lin and James Queally, Los Angeles Times on Sep 8, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — Erik and Lyle Menendez have been granted an early parole hearing after their denial last year.

The brothers, who are serving prison sentences for the 1989 shotgun killings of their parents in Beverly Hills, are to appear before the California Board of Parole in March 2027, about a year earlier than anticipated. Both men were denied parole last year, in part, due to their use of contraband cellphones and other violations of prison rules.

Erik, 55, and Lyle, 58, were re-sentenced to 50 years to life in prison in May 2025, making them eligible for parole because they were younger than 26 when they committed the murders. The move to re-sentence the brothers was one of the last acts of George Gascón’s tenure as district attorney, and current Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman quickly moved to fight their release.

They were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. But a campaign to set the brothers free gained steam in 2024 after evidence that Jose sexually abused the brothers, and may have abused other boys, came to light.

“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,” a statement from the Menendez family said. “Through efforts such as helping to establish a hospice program and creating Green Space, they have sought to build an environment that reminds people serving life sentences that their lives still have meaning and that, regardless of their circumstances, they can choose each day to grow, heal, accept accountability, and contribute something of value to the world around them.”

In a statement, Hochman said he remained opposed to the Erik and Lyle’s release, arguing the brothers have not been truthful in their explanations of the shootings.

“Our position remains the same whether it’s 2027, 2028 or any year after,” he said in a statement. “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 killings occurred after the brothers purchased shotguns in San Diego with a false identification and shot their parents in the family living room on Aug. 20, 1989.

Investigators compared the crime scene to a gangland execution, in which the brothers shot their father, Jose Menendez five times, including once in the back of the head. Their mother had crawled, wounded, on the floor before the brothers fired a final, fatal blast.

The brothers reported the killings to 911 and then began spending large sums of money, including a Porsche and a restaurant, officials said. Erik bought a Jeep and hired a private tennis instructor.

Prosecutors argued that the killings were motivated by access to their multimillion-dollar inheritance after Jose Menendez shared that he planned to disinherit his sons. At a parole hearing last year, prosecutors repeatedly reference the gruesome nature of the shootings and the brothers’ spending spree as factors against their release.

The Menendez brothers and relatives testified during the trials that the two siblings had undergone years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their father.

In arguing for their release, friends, relatives and former cellmates of the brothers pointed to programs the brothers have spearheaded in prison, including classes for anger management, meditation and helping inmates in hospice care.

Members of the board questioned the Menendez brothers during their hearing last year about violating prison rules, including using contraband cellphones.

Lyle said he used cellphones to keep in touch with family outside the prison but Deputy Parole Commissioner Patrick Reardon questioned this explanation, asking why he needed a cellphone if he could make calls from a prison-issued tablet.

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(Stacy Perman and Richard Winton contributed to this report.)