Erik Menendez denied release parole in the decades after killing parents

Erik Menendez’s offer for freedom has undergone a setback, after California US officials refused the conditional release for the murder of his parents more than three decades.

The youngest of the two notorious Menendez brothers, who were both condemned in the 1989 hunting rifle murders of their rich mother and father in Beverly Hills, made his first plea on Thursday.

His brother, Lyle, is expected to appear for his own parole’s adequacy audience on Friday. The two brothers were made eligible for parole after being sentenced by a judge in May.

Erik Menendez can try on parole during another hearing in three years, the board of directors has tried.

The board of directors, Robert Barton, who listened to the testimony for more than 10 hours with a panel before refusing the conditional release of Erik, said that he thought that Erik was not yet ready to be released.

“I believe in redemption, otherwise I would not do this job,” he told Erik at the end of the marathon hearing. “But on the basis of legal standards, we find that you continue to present an unreasonable risk for public security.”

The board of directors was published, in particular, with its violations in prison and its past criminal activities before killing his parents.

“Unlike the beliefs of your supporters, you have not been a model prisoner and frankly, we see a little disturbing,” said Barton, telling him frankly that he had “two options” for his future.

“One is to have a party of pity,” Barton told Erik. “Or you can take care of what we have discussed.”

Erik’s offer for freedom is not over. The denial of parole is likely to focus on the Governor of California Gavin Newsom, who is considering the brothers’ mercy separately.

The leniency could take the form of a reduced sentence or even forgiveness, but that would not revers the convictions of the brothers. Packing such a case in view and controversial could be politically risky for Newsom, who is considered a potential candidate for the Democratic candidate for the presidency.

In addition to their requests for parole and Clémence, the brothers also asked for a new trial, due to additional evidence discovered in the case.

A judge reflects on this request, but the Los Angeles district prosecutor’s office is opposed.

During the hearing on Thursday, a prosecutor of the Los Angeles District Prosecutor’s Office pleaded against the release of Erik, saying that positive changes in his behavior were only motivated by a chance of liberation. They argued that he was “always an unreasonable risk for society” and that he has no glimpse of his crimes “.

Erik appeared practically for the hearing of San Diego prison where he was hosted, wearing a combination of blue prison and glasses. Members of his family, his lawyers and the prosecutor also appeared.

During the hearing almost full day, the panel questioned the killings, his relationship with his parents and his attempts to conceal the guilt of murders. He sometimes became emotional, describing the moments when he opened fire on his parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, with a hunting rifle while watching television in their Beverly Hills manor.

The brothers pulled over the pair more than a dozen times, Erik even recharging the weapon and continuing to shoot his mother. He and his brother claimed the self -defense for a long time and said they were sexually abused.

“I just want my family to understand that I am so unimaginably sorry for what I put them from August 20, 1989 to date, and this hearing,” said Erik during the hearing, before knowing his fate.

“If I have the chance of freedom, I want healing to be about them,” he said. “Don’t think it’s healing me – it’s the healing of the family. It is a family tragedy.”

The Council asked him about his stay in prison and his legal questions before the killings, including his involvement in two burglaries. He said that his time in prison had helped him develop a “moral railings”.

The members of the board of directors also cited the brutal nature of the murders, calling them “devoid of human compassion”. And they examined factors such as Erik’s health and if he would be a danger to society if he was released from prison. A risk assessment revealed it to be a “moderate” risk if it is released.

The members of the panel examined the schooling and the programs with which Erik had been involved in prison, as well as his transgressions – including fighting in prison and withdrawal several times with contraband. Although behind bars, Erik found himself in difficulty to own a mobile phone, art supplies and a tobacco – which he had hidden in a religious book.

The decision on the future of Lyle is a separate affair. Friday morning, he should appear in front of another panel of the parole card. The conduct of the brothers behind the bars and before the murders of 1989 is considered differently, which means that the case of Lyle could cause a different decision from the commission of parole.

During the hearing on Thursday for Erik, a coalition of parents, who long pleaded for the release of the brothers, testified on behalf of Erik – saying that he had changed.

Hi Aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt is melted in tears while she was talking before the panel, telling them that she had forgiven Erik for having killed her brother and the years of trauma he caused to their family.

She said she was dying of cancer of stadium four. “The truth is that I don’t know how long I have left. If Erik is granted by parole, it would be a blessing,” she said.

“I hope to live long enough to welcome him at home, to sit at the same table, to wrap my arms around him – it would bring me immeasurable peace and joy.”

During their trials, the brothers said that the killings had been committed in self -defense and that they had undergone years of emotional and sexual abuse in the hands of their parents.

The prosecutors, however, argued that they were greedy, entitled Monsters who meticulously planned the murders, then lied to the authorities investigating the case while going to $ 700,000 (£ 526,000) using money they had inherited.

The couple was not arrested until the police learned their admissions to a psychologist.

Three decades later, the case was re -examined in the public thanks to a mixture of new evidence, attention to Tiktok, a dramatic series of Netflix and contributions from celebrities.

But there was no movement before the courts until the former Los Angeles prosecutor re -examined the case and asked a judge to re -entertain them, citing the evolutionary approach of California towards juvenile delinquents and abuse survivors.

A change of state law allows offenders who were under 26 years of age when they are condemned as minors rather than adults. Lyle was 21 years old and Erik was 18 when they killed their parents.

Despite the new Los Angeles district prosecutor Nathan Hochman, fighting the renowned effort, a judge in May changed their sentence at 50 years old with the possibility of parole – which has represented a reduction.