That knowing the case of the Menendez brothers and when could they be released

In 1989, the Brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents by pulling them several times near their manor in Beverly Hills.

They were found guilty of first degree and conspiracy murder with a view to murder in 1996 and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The public interest in the case has increased since a new Netflix drama, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez, was released in 2024. Their history continues to divide opinion.

During a renowned hearing in May 2025, a judge made them eligible for parole. However, in August, the two brothers were denied a release.

Erik, now 54, appeared in front of a panel in California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on August 21. He was told that he was always a risk for public security and had not been a model prisoner.

A day later, Lyle, 57, long considered the dominant brother, was denied parole by another board of directors.

He cited the brutal nature of murders and the lack of self -control of Lyle.

“We find that your remorse is authentic,” said parole commissioner Julie Garland. “But despite all these external positives, we see … You still have trouble with anti -social personality traits such as deception, minimization and rules of rules which are below this positive surface.”

They can try again for parole in three years – although it can be reduced to 18 months with good driving.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is examining a separate request to offer the brothers La Clémence – perhaps in the form of forgiveness.

Newsom, which is in the middle of a political transformation and could have his eyes on a white house race, has the power to accept or reject any recommendation from the board of directors.

In 2024, the former district prosecutor of Los Angeles, George Gascón, asked that the penalty of life of the brothers without the possibility of parole was changed at 50 years old.

During a hearing at the Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles, the brothers apologized for their actions. Their reinforcement offer was supported by family members and a former detained colleague.

The prosecutors said that the brothers had continued to “apologize” for their conduct instead of taking full responsibility and were not rehabilitated.

But the judge agreed to feel the brothers, saying that they had “done enough in the past 35 years to have this chance”.

The decision made them eligible for parole under the California youth law, which allows those who have committed crimes before the age of 26 to request a reduced sentence.

The brothers and sisters were aged 18 and 21 at the time.

Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, on August 20, 1989 at their home in Beverly Hills.

Their father, a 45 -year -old Hollywood executive, was killed six times with a hunting rifle that the brothers had bought a few days before the attack.

Their mother died after suffering from 10 hunting rifles in several parts of her body.

The brothers initially told the police that they had found their parents who died when they arrived at home.

They were arrested after the girlfriend of a psychologist who had treated Erik Menendez went to the police to say that he had physically threatened the doctor.

The brothers claimed to have committed the murders in self -defense after years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse, although no assault is never proven in court.

They said they feared that their father kills them after threatening to exhibit him.

However, the prosecutors argued that the young men had killed their parents who succeeded to inherit their fields of several million dollars.

The brothers were placed in police custody in 1990 and 1993, they were tried for the murders, first individually, with a jury for each brother.

However, the two juries were blocked in 1994, which led to a trial, and the pair was then re -sought together in 1995.

During their joint trial, the judge excluded the apparent evidence of abuse from their defense affair. Sessions recorded with a doctor, in which the murders were discussed, were deemed eligible by the judge.

A jury considered them guilty and the couple was found guilty of first degree and conspiracy with a view to murder in 1996.

The brothers, who were separated during their detention after a detective who investigated the killers said they could conspire to escape if they were accommodated together, gathered in prison in 2018.

The case was postponed under the spotlight after Netflix released a dramatic series on the brothers in September 2024.

Monsters: The story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, turned to the top of the platform streaming painting and would have had more than 12 million views in the first weekend after its release.

The program explores what could have led the brothers and sisters to kill their parents and presents the murders of different angles.

Its creators said that the series was based on in -depth research.

He includes the claims of the abuse of the brothers and showing things from the parents’ point of view.

The show presented the case to a new generation and drew the attention of celebrities – including Kim Kardashian and Rosie O’Donnell – who called for the release of the brothers.

The series was followed by the controversial series First Monsters on the American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

After his release, Erik Menendez shared a statement, published on X by his wife.

He said that the show was “discouraging” and that he “believed that we had gone beyond the lies and representations of the ruinous character of Lyle”.

“It is sad for me to know that the dishonest representation of Netflix of tragedies surrounding our crime took the painful truths of several steps back-back in time at a time when the accusation built a story on a system of belief that men were not sexually abused, and that men suffered rape trauma differently than women,” he added.

Family members also spoke and said that the brothers had been “victims of this grotesque shockadrama” and that the show was “riddled with misdeeds”.

Ryan Murphy, who created the show, told Variety that the comments were “at best predictable”.

He added that the family’s response was “interesting because I would like details on what they think is shocking or not shocking. It is not like we were doing something. Everything was presented before”.