Erik Menendez denied parole, will have to remain in prison for parents' murders

A California parole committee decided to contradict Erik Menendez parole, and helium volition person to stay successful situation for the 1989 murders of his parents erstwhile helium was 18 years old.

Menendez and his member Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree execution successful 1996 during a retrial and sentenced to beingness successful situation without parole. After a years-long battle, the Menendez brothers were resentenced to 50 years to beingness with the anticipation of parole. Due to that resentencing, they became eligible for parole hearings nether younker offender parole laws.

Erik Menendez's parole proceeding was connected Thursday. Lyle Menendez's parole hearing volition beryllium Friday.

The parole committee said it's a three-year denial, and Erik Menendez tin past beryllium eligible for parole again astatine that time.

"The intent of this proceeding is not to retry this case. Nor is the intent of this proceeding to enactment your parents connected trial," said Parole Commissioner Robert Barton astatine the commencement of the hearing, noting the intent of the proceeding is to find whether Erik Menendez poses a hazard to nationalist safety.

During the proceeding connected Thursday, Erik Menendez was questioned by the parole board, helium gave a closing connection and past the victims' relatives spoke to the board.

The committee said astatine contented were Menendez's burglaries earlier the murders, the usage of cellphones portion successful situation and the execution of his mother. These were each topics the committee questioned Menendez astir during the hearing.

The proceeding was virtual, and Erik Menendez participated from a machine astatine the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility successful San Diego.

Erik Menendez attends the parole proceeding virtually from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility successful San Diego.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Since parole was denied, Menendez tin inquire the Board to reappraisal the lawsuit for errors of information and to spot if corrected, it would that pb to a antithetic outcome.

Another avenue for Menendez is Gov. Gavin Newsom.

"Newsom tin besides workout his clemency powerfulness to pardon oregon merchandise the Menendez brothers astatine immoderate time," the DA's bureau said.

Here's what happened during the parole committee hearing:

Related story: A timeline of the Menendez brothers' execution case

What happened during Erik Menendez's parole committee hearing?

During the questioning information of the hearing, committee members asked Menendez to speech astir 2 burglaries helium committed earlier the murders of his parents.

Menendez said the information down the burglaries was to impressment older kids and his older member Lyle. He said the 2nd burglary was to instrumentality it to his father, Jose Menendez.

Menendez said successful his family, stealing wasn't frowned upon, but getting caught was.

"I was not raised with a motivation instauration ... I was raised purposely without the motivation instauration that I should not bash incorrect erstwhile I cognize the quality betwixt close and wrong. I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal, bargain successful the sense, an abstract way," Erik Menendez explained. "When I was playing tennis, my begetter would marque definite that I cheated astatine definite times if helium told maine to. The thought that determination is simply a close and incorrect that I bash not transverse due to the fact that it's a motivation bound was not instilled successful maine arsenic a teenager."

Menendez said helium developed a "moral guardrail" arsenic portion of his travel successful prison.

What did Erik Menendez accidental astir his parents' murders during the hearing?

Menendez said determination was a small implicit a twelvemonth betwixt the 2nd burglary and the murders.

On the Tuesday earlier the murders, Menendez saw an incidental betwixt his parent Kitty Menedez and his member Lyle. Erik went to the impermanent location and broke down. In the impermanent house, Erik talked to Lyle astir the ongoing intersexual maltreatment helium was experiencing astatine the hands of their father.

"There was nary speech astir doing thing to my parents; the speech was, 'you're coming backmost to Princeton with me,'" Erik Menendez told the board.

Lyle believed helium could instrumentality Erik distant from the abuse, but erstwhile a confrontation with their begetter turned atrocious connected Thursday night, that's erstwhile the brothers decided to bargain guns.

"The speech of buying the guns was not 'Let's bargain guns and termination them,'" Erik Menendez explained to the board. "The speech of buying guns was, 'it had present go precise dangerous, and I had breached the 1 regularisation my begetter told maine ne'er to break.'"

Erik said the speech connected Tuesday was the archetypal clip helium talked to Lyle astir the intersexual maltreatment they experienced.

"Lyle and I were raised purposely to not speech to each different astir affectional oregon traumatic things ... talking astir thing similar that was considered a large weakness," Erik said.

Erik Menendez said the intent of the guns was "I was ne'er going to fto dada travel successful my country and bash that again."

While Erik Menendez described what led up to the murders, presiding commissioner Barton questioned wherefore Menendez ne'er near home, noting helium was 18 astatine the clip and could person gone to the authorities oregon different household members.

"It's hard to convey however terrifying my begetter was," Erik said.

"My implicit content that I could not get away. Maybe it sounds wholly irrational and unreasonable today..." helium continued.

When Barton again asked astir wherefore Menendez bought the guns, helium said it was to support himself.

"My intent successful getting the guns was to support myself successful lawsuit my begetter oregon my parent came astatine maine to termination me," Menendez said. "Or my begetter came successful the country to rape me. That is wherefore I bought the guns."

The time of the murders, Erik Menendez said Jose Menendez ordered him to spell to his country and that his dada was coming up.

"Dad was going to travel to my country and rape maine that night," Erik said. "That was going to happen. One mode oregon another. If helium was alive, that was going to happen."

Erik Menendez said helium got the gun, went to the car and loaded it, earlier Lyle Menendez could.

"I didn't adjacent hold for Lyle," Menendez said. "I knew I had to get to that den."

Baron past questioned wherefore Kitty Menendez was killed.

Erik said helium believed Kitty would ovum Jose on, and she was besides being abused by Jose.

"Step by step, my ma had shown she was agreed with my dada ... but erstwhile I recovered retired that she knew" astir the abuse, Erik said helium nary longer saw immoderate daylight betwixt his parents. "On that nighttime I saw them arsenic 1 person. Had she not been successful the room, possibly it would person been different."

What did Erik Menendez accidental astir his behaviour successful situation during the parole hearing?

During the hearing, Barton questioned Menendez astir violations helium committed portion successful prison.

"We admit that you've served a batch of time, adjacent arsenic horrific arsenic these murders are, they are not needfully the thing," that would person the committee that Menendez is simply a hazard to nationalist safety.

Barton said Menendez's situation grounds is "replete" with "diverse violations."

The violations included cause use, assaulting different incarcerated people, utilizing and having a cellphone, manipulating California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials, hiding contraband successful his cell, and excessive carnal interaction with a visitor.

Barton besides asked Menendez astir his "risk areas."

Menendez said his hazard areas are "criminal thinking, substance abuse, violence, anger, impulsivity, cellphone use." He said helium has a "healthy narration plan" and acknowledges determination are concerns astir co-dependency.

Menendez said during his archetypal decennary successful situation helium became much anti-social. He said mostly successful situation if helium utilized intoxicant oregon drugs, it was due to the fact that helium was "miserable" and feeling hopeless owed to serving beingness successful situation without parole.

"If I could numb my sadness with alcohol, I was going to bash it," Erik said. "I would person taken different drugs to numb that symptom ... I was looking to easiness that sadness wrong me."

While successful prison, Erik asked aggregate times to beryllium enactment successful the aforesaid installation arsenic Lyle Menendez. Barton said helium was asked by CDCR unit astir his narration with Lyle, Erik said determination were ne'er immoderate problems. Barton said that was a "lie."

Erik Menendez said helium didn't archer unit that Lyle molested him arsenic a kid.

Menendez's situation grounds besides showed helium was progressive with the Two Fivers situation pack that led a taxation scam and smuggled cellphones into the prison.

"I was successful tremendous fear. When the Two Fivers came and asked for help, I thought this was a large accidental to align myself with them and to survive," Menendez said.

Menendez said astatine that clip helium was inactive facing beingness without the anticipation of parole and prioritized surviving successful situation implicit pursuing the rules due to the fact that helium had nary anticipation of getting out.

"By 2016, a batch changed for maine successful 2013," Erik said, adding helium had been moved to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility and distant from the gang. He besides hadn't seen his member successful rather immoderate clip and wanted to beryllium person to family.

Cellphone usage portion successful situation was a repetition usurpation successful Menendez's record. He said helium would fto different radical usage his telephone also.

"What I got, successful presumption of the telephone and my transportation with the extracurricular world, was acold greater than the consequences of maine getting caught with the phone," Menendez said.

Barton continued to question Menendez connected the sprawling interaction of telephone use, which logically meant a CDCR staffer had to bring a telephone in, that a situation pack whitethorn person benefitted by taxing the import of the phone.

"I knew of 50, 60 radical that had phones," Erik replied. "They were conscionable disposable ... I justified it by saying, 'if I don't bargain it, idiosyncratic other is going to bargain it.' The phones were going to beryllium sold and I longed for that connection"

Erik admitted helium got addicted to the phones.

"You're doing beingness without [parole], this is not truly harming anyone," helium said.

The parole committee pointed retired due to the fact that of this cellphone use, helium mislaid household visitation rights for 3 years.

But successful November 2024, Menendez realized consequences mattered, "consequences meant I was destroying my life."

When Menendez realized helium had a accidental to get out, helium said his "consequential thinking" kicked in.

"I can't beryllium doing this," helium said. "I don't cognize however radical cognize they're going to spell to the committee successful 5 to 10 years could beryllium doing this."

What changes did Erik Menendez marque portion successful prison?

Menendez said during the parole committee proceeding that helium has stopped utilizing drugs.

"I didn't similar who I was erstwhile I was utilizing drugs," helium said. "I wanted to marque important changes successful my life. I had been successful the mindset that I did not privation to usage anymore."

Menendez told the committee helium volition grant that committedness helium made successful October 2013.

Deputy Parole Commissioner Rachel Stern asked Menendez astir his "relapse prevention program for choler management."

Erik said helium was "angry, if not rageful, astatine my dada for coming into my country and not letting maine spell to college. At my ma for knowing ... that night, yes, I was terrified for my safety, but I was besides angry, and choler was a portion of my puerility passim my young big life."

On the nighttime of the murder, Erik said choler "exploded retired of maine and I can't ideate being aggravated astatine my ma now. I wasn't aggravated an hr afterwards, and arsenic I've grown I've realized conscionable however terrible the trauma was that she experienced."

Menendez talked a batch astir his narration with God and dealing with "toxic shame."

"From 2013 on, I was surviving for a antithetic purpose," Menendez said. "My intent successful beingness was to beryllium a bully idiosyncratic ... I asked myself, 'who bash I privation to beryllium erstwhile I die?' I judge I'm going to look a antithetic parole committee erstwhile I die."

Menendez said religion was a "fundamental component" to changing his beingness successful 2013.

Menendez besides talked astir the symptom helium enactment his household through.

"Seeing my crimes done my family's eyes has been a immense portion of my improvement and my growth," helium said. "Just seeing the symptom and the suffering. Understanding the magnitude of what I've done, the generational impact."

Menendez expressed his remorse for the murders, which volition interaction his household for generations.

"I've called it a everlastingly crime," helium said. "It volition interaction each procreation to beryllium born. I cannot explicit sorrow and remorse enough. Doing it for the remainder of my beingness volition not beryllium enough."

Stern pointed retired that Menendez has done "gobs of programming" and that listing each of it would instrumentality "until adjacent week."

Menendez leads a antheral intersexual battle subsister group, is portion of a "hospice group" and gets inmates to enactment one-on-one with different inmates who are struggling.

As portion of the hospice group, Menendez worked with aged beingness inmates to marque definite they got their needs met. He learned during that clip determination is simply a batch of bullying of the aged successful prison, who are unsocial and uncared for.

Menendez besides graduated from UCLA successful June.

What were the closing statements during Erike Menendez's parole hearing?

L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian acknowledged the enactment Menendez did to amended himself successful prison.

"We anticipation that helium 1 time achieves redemption," Bailan said. "But the existent question is did helium learn, successful each those classes ... the astir important acquisition of all? Does helium recognize the afloat severity and depravity of his conduct?"

Bailan said Menendez's self-improvement was motivated by having a accidental to beryllium released.

"He's connected the road," helium said. "He's not determination yet. He doesn't person penetration [into his crimes]."

Bailan told the parole committee Menendez is not reformed and is inactive an unreasonable hazard to society.

Menendez's parole lawyer Heidi Rummel past delivered closing statements, saying helium isn't a information to society.

"This crime, arsenic the remainder of the satellite seems to understand, was driven by bonzer trauma, carnal abuse, affectional maltreatment and relentless domination by his parents," she said.

Rummel said the CDCR violations were "low-level violations" successful bid to past situation and airy successful examination to astir different inmates successful a high-security yard.

"In 2013, with beingness without parole and nary distant anticipation of leaving situation ... helium made melodramatic changes successful his life" she said. "He recovered his faith. He became accountable to his higher power. He recovered sobriety and made a committedness to his parent connected her birthday."

Rummel said Menendez is truthful acold from the idiosyncratic helium was erstwhile helium killed his parents.

"Never person I been successful a proceeding wherever truthful galore household members, who cognize him truthful good and who knew what happened successful that location and who loved his parents, person gone truthful acold retired of their mode to enactment his release," she said.

Menendez was past capable to present his closing statement, saying this transgression is astir his family.

"I conscionable privation my household to recognize that I americium truthful unimaginably atrocious for what I person enactment them done from Aug. 20, 1989, until this day, and this hearing," helium said. "I cognize that they person been present for me, and they're present for maine today. But I privation them to cognize that this should beryllium astir them. It's astir them, and if I ever get the accidental astatine freedom, I privation the healing to beryllium astir them."

Menendez talked astir however determination is trauma successful the younger generations, adjacent successful radical who weren't calved erstwhile the murders happened. He explained however the murders and the combat to get him retired of situation caused divisions successful his family.

"Don't deliberation it's the healing of me, it's the healing of the family," helium said. "This is simply a household tragedy."

What did the victims' families accidental during Erik Menendez's parole hearing?

"I privation to marque wide that though I emotion my brother, I person afloat forgiven Erik," said Teresita Menendez-Baralt, Erik's aunt and Jose's sister.

Menendez-Baralt said Erik is simply a "sweet gentle soul" who deserved love. She said she wishes she could spell backmost successful clip to "shield him successful the mode helium should person been protected."

About 18 radical spoke during the household connection information of the hearing, the bulk of whom supported Menendez's merchandise and corroborated his growth.

Kitty Menendez's great-niece Natascha Leonardo told the committee she promises to location Menendez successful Colorado, wherever helium tin beryllium adjacent to household and bask nature. She said helium is person to her kids and promised to supply location a location of "unconditional emotion and stability."

"We're not asking you to merchandise Erik into uncertainty," Leonardo said. "We're asking you to merchandise him into a web of emotion and support."

Kitty Menendez's sister Joan Vandermolen was represented by her granddaughter Tiffani Lucero Pastor astatine the hearing. Vandermolen is 93 and not physically capable to speak.

"My grandma struggles with the shame and humiliation of the information that the boys suffered abuse, and that her sister remained silent," Pastor said.

Pastor said Vandermolen has forgiven Erik and wants him retired of prison.

"Joan does not shy distant from the information that Erik killed her sister," she said. "But Erik has earned a 2nd accidental ... she is truthful arrogant of however helium has worked relentlessly connected himself, emotionally, spiritually."

Jose Menendez's niece Marta Cano Hallowell said the household volition support Erik accountable.

"He has a agelong journey," she said. "But helium has each of america beside him ... making definite helium second-guesses himself if helium does thing he's not rather expected to. We volition support him accountable."