Erik Menendez's request for parole has been rejected despite receiving a reduced sentence that made him eligible for early release.
On Thursday, August 21, the California Parole Board made the decision after an almost whole day of hearing – which Erik joined via video from prison in San Diego – citing his behaviour in prison as the main reason for the denial.
Almost 30 years after their convictions for murdering their parents, Erik and his older brother Lyle Menendez were given the opportunity to present their cases for parole.
They were sentenced in 1996 to life imprisonment for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989. They were 18 and 21 at the time.
Defence attorneys argued that the brothers acted in self-defence after years of sexual abuse by their father, while the prosecutors claimed they committed murder for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
The brothers became eligible for parole in May after an LA judge reduced their sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible under California law, as they were under 26 when they committed their crimes.
A reporter present at the hearing shared that the parole commissioners denied Erik the freedom on the basis of multiple rule violations, including the use of drugs, cell phones, violence, and allegedly aiding a gang in a tax scheme.
The parole was denied despite strong support from family members who have been advocating for the brothers' release for months.
Notably, his older brother Lyle is expected to appear by video before the board on Friday.
