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Erik and Lyle Menendez have been granted a parole hearing for next year, a year earlier than previously expected.
The brothers, who were both convicted of the Aug. 20, 1989, shotgun slayings of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home, are scheduled to have a parole suitability hearing in March 2027 instead of August 2028, Fox News confirms.
The change stems from two provisions included in Proposition 9, which allow a prison inmate’s next parole hearing date to be moved up if there is a change in circumstances or new information indicating the person may be suitable for parole, The Orange County Register reported.
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Erik and Lyle Menendez will face a parole board hearing in March 2027, a year earlier than expected. (Getty Images)
“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 by family members reads.
“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,” they added.
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Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave a courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain were not privileged and could be used as evidence. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
The brothers were handed life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders, which drew widespread media attention. However, they were resentenced to life in May 2025, making them eligible for parole.
The new sentencing came amid a push by supporters following a Netflix series on the case that resurrected calls for their freedom. They were denied parole last year.
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Erik Menendez appears remotely for a 2025 parole hearing. (CDCR)
The brothers have said the murders were committed after years of sexual abuse by their father. However, prosecutors have contested the claims, arguing the pair killed their parents out of greed.
“Erik and Lyle were once sentenced to life without the possibility of parole,” the family statement said. “We will always be profoundly grateful that they have been resentenced and that our family can now imagine a future in which they are once again part of our everyday lives… We are incredibly proud of the men they have become and deeply grateful to the Parole Board for recognizing their efforts and allowing them to advance their parole hearing.”
A sketch depicts (l-r) Erik and Lyle Menendez as they appear remotely at superior court in Van Nuys, California, Friday, April 11, 2025. (Bill Robles)
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Lyle Menendez, 58, and Erik Menendez, 55, are both incarcerated in the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
