Lyle Menendez, according to his supporters and family members, is a true example of how a person can grow and mature after committing horrific crimes, such as killing his own parents.

Menendez has been lauded for his work within the prison walls: In addition to getting his bachelor’s degree in sociology and working on his master’s in urban planning, the elder Menendez led a volunteer group to help sexual abuse victims like his brother and himself. Menendez also served in a leadership role for the Men’s Advisory Council within the prison system.

But in the end, a parole board Friday denied parole for Menendez following an 11-hour hearing, saying he still poses a risk to the public.

“Don’t be somebody different behind closed doors,” Parole Commissioner Julie Garland said when announcing the decision, recommending that Menendez “spend some time to demonstrate, to practice what you preach” about who he is while he awaits his eligibility to petition for parole in three years. 

Deception

Garland said Menendez appears to be still struggling with “anti-social” traits, which include Menendez’s tendency to be deceitful.

Menendez’s prison records show there were times he lied to prison officials even when caught red handed. 

In July 1998, Menendez was discovered switching shoes with a female visitor named Michelle McMillen, who came to the prison wearing large Adidas shoes. They later tried to discreetly do a shoe exchange, but a prison guard detected the suspicious activity.

When probed about the shoe exchange, Menendez lied and denied until proven otherwise, prison records show.

Also in 2010, while being incarcerated in the Mule Creek State Prison in Northern California, a prison guard noticed Menendez received Nike Dart VII leather white tennis shoes size 10 1/2 in a package that was mailed to him.

When Menendez was told to turn in the shoes, Menendez tried to “circumvent” the package procedure by submitting older shoes, not the newly received Nike shoes, listed on the property card.

During Friday’s hearing, Commissioner Garland asked Menendez if he was a good liar. He responded no. 

Ultimately, she said, he needs to be the person he presents himself to be while leading rehabilitation programs for other inmates. 

Rule violations

Garland also told Menendez his tendency to break rules was still lying “beneath that positive surface.”

One of the biggest (longest running) violations by Menendez is cellphone possession, according to prison records.

Although Lyle Menendez did not violate any prison rules with alcohol or drug use like his younger brother Erik, the older brother lost the privilege to get family visits for a year as a result of the illegal possession of a cellphone in March 2024.

Deputy Parole Commissioner Patrick Reardon also noted during the hearing that Menendez had access to a phone nearly all the time from 2018 to November 2024 while he was serving a leadership role on the Men’s Advisory Council at the prison.

Menendez did not refute the statements, but he attempted to explain why he had a cellphone, saying that he had to stay in touch with his family and community and that he didn’t think it was harming anyone.  

Reardon responded by saying the cellphone rule violations negate all the good work Menendez has been doing for volunteer programs.

Garland also told Menendez in her decision to deny parole that incarcerated people who break rules are more likely to break rules in society.

Is Lyle Menendez a narcissist?

Menendez’s parole board panel appeared to have similar views about him as those behind his comprehensive risk assessment report.

Friday’s discussions confirmed that his comprehensive risk assessment found him to have a “moderate risk” of violence.

As the report noted Menendez to be “entitled” and having the characteristics of “deception, manipulation, not accepting consequence,” the panel explained the same traits lead to the decision to deny his parole.

When asked by the parole board commissioner if he engaged in deception around the time of the crime, Menendez said he used deception to survive his childhood 

But he denied he was “narcissistic,” saying he cares about people as shown through his volunteer work within the prison system.

While his parole eligibility resumes in three years, Lyle Menendez can be considered for an administrative review within one year, and he could be moved up to a hearing as soon as 18 months, according to Garland.