Erik Menéndez, the younger of the Menéndez brothers at 54, is out of prison much sooner than anyone would have imagined, although not for the best of reasons.

"I don't want to give away the whole story," his attorney, Mark Geragos, told TMZ . "Erick is suffering from a serious health issue right now." The lawyer added that the situation is serious enough that he decided to ask California Governor Gavin Newsom to grant him an immediate pardon.

"I'm not going to violate HIPAA (which protects patient privacy in the United States) or attorney-client privilege or anything like that, but if there's anyone who should be granted parole, especially now, with the hearing just a month away, it's Erik," he added.

He also hinted that Erik is being treated for an undisclosed problem. "It's a serious condition. I think he needs to be out and focus on the hearing."

It was later revealed that Erik Menéndez ended up in the hospital for kidney stones, also known as renal calculi. This is a relatively common health problem, which in most cases is not serious, although if the stones are very large, they may require hospitalization to break them up or reduce their size with laser treatment.

If this doesn't work or they become lodged in the urinary tract, surgery is sometimes required, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases . If this is Erik's situation, he may require a slightly longer hospital stay and extensive recovery. Perhaps this is what Garagos was referring to, although there has been speculation on social media about an even bigger health issue that could convince Newsom to grant him an immediate pardon.

And Lyle?

Adding to the questions about Erik's "serious" health problem are doubts about the future of his brother Lyle Menéndez.

The brothers are viewed by the public as a unit; they have the same lawyers, led by Garagos, and have handled the early release process together. However, the truth is that they were sentenced separately, as each had his own trial. Until a decade ago, they were in different prisons and were prohibited from communicating with each other.

Menéndez's sketch

The Menéndez family's legal team is currently exploring the possibility of a government pardon, and it's unknown if they will be granted one, whether it will be granted to both men, or at the same time. A new sentence and early release on bail are also a possibility.

All cases were expected to be resolved before September. Things may have changed, but we still have to wait.

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