Key facts
- Erik and Lyle Menendez will appear before a parole board in March.
- Their sentences were reduced to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole.
- They were previously denied parole in August 2025.
- The earlier hearing was granted after the brothers requested it.
- The family stated the brothers have worked to take responsibility and heal from abuse.
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, are now eligible to face a parole board in March, approximately 17 months earlier than previously scheduled. Their sentences were reduced from life to 50 years to life by a Los Angeles judge in May 2025, making them eligible for parole because they were under 26 at the time of the crimes.
The brothers were denied parole in August 2025, with the board citing Lyle Menendez's "anti-social personality traits like deception" and Erik Menendez's prison rule violations. Their next eligibility date was set for August 2028, but the parole board has tentatively moved this up to March following their requests.
The California department of corrections and rehabilitation permits prisoners to seek earlier hearings if there is a "change in circumstances or new information indicating the person may be suitable for parole." The department has not yet commented on the specific reasons for granting the earlier hearing.
The case has garnered significant attention from true crime enthusiasts, with renewed interest fueled by recent shows. Weeks after their last parole denial, a judge rejected their petition for a review of their convictions based on new evidence of alleged sexual abuse by their father.
Their family stated that Erik and Lyle have worked to take responsibility for their actions, heal from abuse, and serve others by establishing a prison hospice program and a beautification program. The family emphasized that the brothers have sought to demonstrate that lives can still have meaning and that accountability can be chosen daily.
The brothers were tried separately, with juries deadlocking in 1994. Prosecutors argued the killings were for financial gain, while the defense claimed self-defense due to years of alleged abuse by their father. They were retried together and convicted of first-degree murder.