Erik Menendez, one of the infamous Menendez brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, has been denied parole just three months after he and his brother Lyle were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison. The California parole board rejected Erik’s bid for release to parole supervision, citing the severity of the crime and the continuing sentence handed down earlier this year.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were originally sentenced to life without parole for the brutal killings of José and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion. However, a recent resentencing reduced their punishment to 50 years to life, technically making them eligible to apply for parole.
The case, one of the most sensational in U.S. criminal history, drew massive public attention in the 1990s and continues to be the subject of books, documentaries, and dramatizations. Erik’s denial underscores the challenges both brothers face in seeking freedom, as they remain incarcerated more than three decades after the murders.