Netflix Spotlight, But No Freedom for Menendez Brother
Erik Menendez to remain in prison
A Los Angeles parole board has denied parole to the younger of the two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in August 1989 at the family’s Beverly Hills mansion, CE Report quotes ANSA.
After a full-day hearing, commissioners ruled that Menendez “remains a risk to society,” especially in light of his conduct behind bars, where he has been held since his arrest in January 1990.
“August 21 is the day my family discovered my parents were dead — the beginning of their trauma,” recalled Erik, speaking via video link from San Diego prison. Now 53, he tried to show he has changed, citing faith, sobriety, and support work for elderly inmates. But the board listed numerous infractions: use of a cell phone “selfishly, as if rules didn’t apply to him,” ties with gangs, drug trafficking, disciplinary violations, and even a tax fraud scheme.
More than ten relatives testified on his behalf, including his cancer-stricken aunt, Teresita Menendez-Baralt, who said she had forgiven him and would welcome him into her home.
After a highly publicized trial, the brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced in 1996 to life without parole. Prosecutors said they were motivated by inheritance from their father, a music industry executive, while the defense argued they acted after years of abuse and sexual assault by their father, covered up by their mother.
Following years of family petitions for case review — revived by Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — a Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences last May to 50 years, since they were under 26 at the time of the crime, making them parole-eligible. The parole board’s rejection blocks Erik’s release, and a new petition can only be filed in three years. On Friday, his older brother Lyle will face the same court.
