For the first time in more than three decades, Erik and Lyle Menendez are facing the possibility of freedom. The California parole board is set to decide this week whether the infamous brothers, convicted for the 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills, should be granted parole—a decision watched closely by family, legal experts, and a public still captivated by their story.
The hearings, which began Thursday, August 21, 2025, for Erik and continue Friday for Lyle, mark a pivotal moment in a case that has fascinated and divided Americans since the brothers’ arrest. Both hearings are being conducted via videoconference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where the brothers have spent years serving life sentences.
The Menendez brothers’ eligibility for parole comes after a May 2025 judicial decision to resentence them, reducing their punishment from life without parole to 50 years to life. This change was made possible by a California law allowing parole consideration for those under 26 at the time of their crimes—Erik was 18, Lyle 21 when they shot their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home.
While the brothers’ fates are forever linked in the public imagination, the parole board will evaluate them separately. A panel of two or three commissioners, appointed by the governor, will consider each man’s criminal history, personal growth, behavior and disciplinary record in prison, and their plans for life outside. The board will also weigh their expressions of remorse and the circumstances surrounding their crime. If parole is granted, the decision will undergo further review, first by the board’s chief counsel and then by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has the final say.
According to reporting by CNN and Fox News, the governor’s office has not commented on how Newsom might decide. However, Newsom has previously emphasized the seriousness with which he approaches parole decisions, telling podcast listeners last month that he intentionally avoided dramatizations of the Menendez case to keep his judgment unbiased. Newsom is expected to make a final decision by Labor Day if the board recommends release.
The Menendez brothers admitted to killing their parents, but have long maintained that the act was one of self-defense, the result of years of sexual and physical abuse by their father—abuse they claim their mother ignored. Their defense has been met with skepticism from prosecutors, who argue that the murders were financially motivated, pointing to the couple’s multimillion-dollar estate. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman remains a vocal opponent of the brothers’ release, stating in a 75-page filing that Erik and Lyle “have never fully accepted responsibility for the horrific murders of their parents, instead continuing to promote a false narrative of self-defense that was rejected by the jury decades ago.”
Hochman’s office has stressed that “parole decisions must be based solely on the facts and the law,” and that the brothers’ participation in recent documentaries and media has only perpetuated “the same false narratives of abuse and self-defense that they manufactured after their arrests.” Hochman further argued, “Their willingness to appear in such productions, and to leverage them for public sympathy, demonstrates that even more than three decades later, they remain committed to perpetuating lies rather than accepting responsibility for their calculated crimes.”
Despite this, the Menendez brothers have garnered significant family support. More than 20 relatives have formed a coalition, Justice for Erik and Lyle, to advocate for their release. Twelve family members are scheduled to speak on their behalf during the virtual hearings. The coalition released a statement ahead of the hearings: “For more than 35 years, they have shown sustained growth. They’ve taken full accountability. They express sincere remorse to our family to this day and have built a meaningful life defined by purpose and service.”
The brothers have also been active in prison rehabilitation. Erik has founded at least five programs, including support groups for disabled and elderly inmates, and has become certified to teach courses on meditation and alternatives to violence. Lyle has co-founded groups focusing on the impact of childhood trauma and mentorship programs pairing life-sentenced prisoners with younger inmates. Both have taken part in Green Space, a project to improve outdoor areas at the prison. Their cousin, Anamaria Baralt, told CNN, “It was a desire to make their lives worth something, and they’ve succeeded. As far as I’m concerned, they are living full lives, really full lives, full of purpose and meaning.”
Still, the parole board will examine not just their achievements, but also their disciplinary records. Erik has nine rules violation reports, including fighting with other inmates in 1997 and 2011, and cell phone possession. Lyle has eight violations, including contraband possession in 1988 and a lighter in 2013. Both are currently classified as low-risk prisoners, but the board will review these incidents as part of its risk assessment, which was conducted by a forensic psychologist at the governor’s request.
Legal efforts to overturn or reconsider the brothers’ convictions continue. In May 2023, the Menendez legal team filed a habeas corpus petition citing new evidence of abuse, prompting a judge to order prosecutors to respond. Hochman has called the petition a “Hail Mary” and remains steadfast in opposition, asserting that the brothers “have not demonstrated full insight into their crimes or shown that they have been fully rehabilitated, and therefore continue to pose a risk to society.”
Public interest in the case has surged again, spurred by the 2024 Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and a companion documentary. The shows have reignited debate over the brothers’ motives, the veracity of their abuse claims, and the fairness of their trial. Ian Brennan, co-creator of the Netflix series, told The Hollywood Reporter, “What I believe about the truth of the case really changes from hour to hour. The further we went into researching this, the more confused I got, because their testimony and story throughout did involve a lot of lies. The fact that Erik was writing a screenplay that involved murdering your parents is just weird stuff. I think their story is a lot of lies, but there’s a lot of truth to it. If they were somehow not granted parole, I would be very sad. They’ve paid that debt.”
As the parole board weighs its decision, the final outcome could still rest with Governor Newsom. Under a 1988 state law, he has the power to affirm, modify, or deny the board’s recommendation for convicted murderers. Newsom has previously exercised this authority, notably denying parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy, citing a lack of insight and accountability.
Should their parole bid fail, the Menendez brothers are not out of options. They are pursuing both a clemency request to Newsom and a petition for a new trial based on uncovered evidence. For now, their fate—and the question of whether justice has been served—hangs in the balance, as California weighs whether two of its most notorious inmates deserve a second chance.
