Erik Menendez was denied a parole by the California Board of Parole Hearings on Thursday, 36 years and one day after he and his brother shot and killed their parents in the family’s Beverly Hills mansion.
The highly anticipated hearings are the closest the brothers have come to freedom after decades in prison.
Erik Menendez, who appeared Thursday on a live feed from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, and his brother became eligible for parole earlier this year when a judge resentenced them from life in prison without parole to 50 years to life.
Now that parole is denied, attorneys for Erik Menendez can request a board review of the case for errors of fact. If there’s a tie, the full parole board will review the case and make a determination and one of its monthly meetings.
The panel denied parole for Erik Menendez at around 5:50 p.m. PST after the hearing concluded after nearly 10 years with 21 witnesses pushing for his release.
While announcing the decision, Parole Commissioner Robert Barton said the panel spent four times more than it does on average.
“I believe in redemption or I wouldn’t be doing this job … but based on the legal standards we find that you continue to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety,” Barton told Erik Menendez, addressing his continued criminal behavior in prison as well as his past conducts involving burglaries and efforts for a cover-up.
“While we give great weight to youth offender factors, your continued willingness to commit crimes and violate prison rules,” Barton weighed.
As Menendez appeared to listen while nodding, the parole commissioner also brought up the murder of his mother, Kitty, calling it “devoid of human compassion.”
“The manner and the motive for the killings do have some weight in aggravation … the killing of your mother especially showed a lack of empathy and reason,” Barton said.
The hearing concluded nearly 10 hours after it began just before 9 a.m. Thursday with all parties appearing via video feeds. Erik Menendez appeared on a monitor in a light blue prison jumper and was accompanied by two California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The presiding parole board commissioner explained the purpose of the hearing to Erik Menendez and acknowledged what was at stake.
“Mr. Menendez, I know you’re nervous,” Commissioner Robert Barton said. “Everyone is nervous when they come to a hearing. What I will tell you is to keep breathing.”
The commissioners started by questioning Erik Menendez about his involvement in a burglary at age 17.
“It began as a prank with a couple of other people at a party and it escalated and became a serious instance,” Erik Menendez said. “I wanted to impress them and I was very immature and I made very poor decisions and I ended up hurting those individuals that I burglarized.”
Convicts to social media stars? Erik and Lyle Menendez, who a judge ruled to now be eligible for parole following the killing of their parents, have received support on social media and coverage by Internet users. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
He went on to tell the commissioners that he was “dealing with tremendous self-worth issues” at the time.
“I was not raised with a moral foundation,” Erik Menendez said. “I was raised purposely without the moral foundation that I should not do wrong when I know the difference between right and wrong. I was raised to
lie, to cheat, to steal, steal in the sense, an abstract way. When I was playing tennis my father would make sure that I cheated at certain times if he told me to. The idea that there is a right and wrong that I do not cross because it’s a moral bound was not instilled in me as a teenager.”
He said he developed a “moral guardrail” in prison.
Much of the hearing focused on the Menendez family and its history, including allegations of sexual abuse against Jose Menendez. Erik Menendez recounted the first time the two brothers discussed the alleged sexual abuse and what they could do about it.
“My purpose in getting the guns was to protect myself in case my father or my mother came at me to kill me,” Erik Menendez said. “Or, my father came in the room to rape me. That is why I bought the guns.”
A commission member followed by asking why he killed mother Kitty Menendez.
“When Mom told me… that she had known all of those years, it was the most devastating moment in my entire life,” Erik Menendez said, becoming visibly emotional. “It changed everything for me. I had been protecting her by not telling her.”
Commissioners also asked Erik Menendez about his behavior during his 30-plus years in prison, one of the more significant factors when considering parole for a prisoner. The commissioner members brought up prison reports of fights and other violations dating to 1997 when he was in his mid-20s.
One fight was reported in November 1997 that Erik Menendez said he “could have avoided.”
The hearing finally concluded at 6:42 p.m. PST.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, less than 1% of people released after a parole hearing are convicted of new felony crimes within three years of release. Less than 3% are convicted of new misdemeanor or felony crime, according to the agency.
Lyle Menendez’s hearing is set for Friday.