Lyle Menendez was denied parole on Friday, conserving him behind bars together with his youthful brother Erik Menendez, whose parole was denied on Thursday.
As Lyle Menendez, 57, attended the listening to remotely from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, parole commissioner Julie Garland counseled him for his conduct in jail, together with his lack of violence, his work on applications and his optimistic relationships with different inmates and workers. She additionally famous his sturdy assist community and stable plans for a post-release life.
However she stated the panel discovered “there are nonetheless indicators” that he poses a threat to the general public.
Lyle Menendez seems earlier than the parole board by way of teleconference on Friday, Aug 22, 2025, on the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
AP
“You might have been a mannequin inmate in some ways who has demonstrated the potential for change,” Garland informed him at his first-ever parole listening to. “However regardless of all these outward positives, we see … you continue to battle with anti-social persona traits like deception, minimization and rule-breaking that lie beneath that optimistic floor.”
Lyle Menendez’s unlawful possession of cellphones in jail was one other level made by the commissioners.
Garland stated “incarcerated individuals who break guidelines” usually tend to break guidelines in society.
“We do perceive that you simply had little or no hope of being launched for years,” Garland stated, referring to his earlier sentence of life with out the potential of parole.
“Residents are anticipated to observe the foundations whether or not or not there’s some incentive to take action,” she added.
Garland stated the board did give “nice weight” to the truth that Lyle Menendez was underneath the age of 26 on the time of the murders and was very inclined to the “unfavorable and dysfunctional” atmosphere in his house.
This mixture of two reserving photographs supplied by the California Division of Corrections exhibits Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez.
California Dept. of Corrections by way of AP
Lyle Menendez is subsequent eligible for parole in three years. However the board stated he will likely be thought of for an administrative assessment inside one yr and could possibly be moved as much as a listening to in as quickly as 18 months.
This choice comes at some point after Lyle Menendez’s brother, 54-year-old Erik Menendez, was denied parole following a virtually 10-hour listening to. Erik Menendez’s panel of commissioners — who have been totally different from these reviewing Lyle Menendez’s case — primarily based their choice on a number of components, together with Erik Menendez’s unlawful use of cellphones in jail, burglaries he participated in earlier than the murders and the brutal killing of his mom, Kitty Menendez.
Lyle Menendez, Oct. 10, 2024.
CDCR
One commissioner stated it was Erik Menendez’s conduct in jail, not the seriousness of the crime, that was the first cause he was denied parole. The board famous Erik Menendez’s inappropriate conduct with guests, drug smuggling, misuse of state computer systems, violent incidents and unlawful cellphone use.
Erik Menendez maintained on the listening to that the brothers killed their dad and mom after years of sexual abuse by their father, Jose Menendez, and he stated he felt betrayed by his mom when he discovered that she knew concerning the abuse.
“Once I was operating into the den, I used to be in a state of terror, of panic, of rage,” he informed the board members, describing the moments main as much as the taking pictures.
Erik Menendez, Oct. 10, 2024.
CDCR
Los Angeles County District Legal professional Nathan Hochman, who firmly opposes the brothers’ launch, stated in a press release after Erik Menendez’s parole was denied, “The Board accurately decided that Erik Menendez’s actions converse louder than phrases.”
Erik Menendez will even subsequent be eligible for parole in three years.
Though their paroles have been denied, the brothers can ask the parole board to assessment the case for errors, in keeping with the California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Individually, California Gov. Gavin Newsom can grant clemency to the Menendez brothers at any time.
Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit in Beverly Hills Municipal Courtroom the place their attorneys delayed making pleas on behalf of the brothers who’re suspected within the murders of their dad and mom on March 12, 1990.
Nick Ut/AP
The brothers, who have been arrested in March 1990, have been initially sentenced to life with out the potential of parole for the Aug. 20, 1989, murders. Lyle Menendez was 21 and Erik Menendez was 18 on the time, and the brothers stated they dedicated the murders in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.
This Could, Decide Michael Jesic resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life in prison, making them instantly eligible for parole underneath youth offender parole legal guidelines.
Jesic famous he was moved by the supportive letters from jail guards and was amazed by the work the brothers had achieved to higher the lives of their fellow inmates. The brothers additionally gave their very own statements to the decide, admitting their guilt and admitting to mendacity concerning the case previously.
