Erik Menendez Denied Parole in First Ever Hearing - Reports

Erik Menendez of the infamous Menendez brothers was denied parole today after spending over three decades behind bars. He and his brother, Lyle, were convicted in 1996 of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

The news was first broken by his daughter Talia Menendez, on her Instagram account, and then by Los Angeles Times Reporter James Queally, who was at the almost 10-hour long parole board meeting.

In a series of angry posts, Erik's daughter, Talia, condemned the parole board and prison system for declaring her father a "threat to society." She also detailed numerous instances where Erik was mistreated or exploited by the prison.

After public interest in their case following a Netflix dramatization of the murders and new evidence surfaced supporting their claims of abuse at the hands of their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez were able to get their sentence reduced to 50 years to life in May of this year. Since both brothers were under 26 at the time they committed their crimes, the siblings can be paroled under the California youthful offender act.

At the parole hearings, relatives of the Menendez brothers testified on their behalf. The family has been overwhelmingly supportive of Erik and Lyle, echoing the claims of abuse at the hands of their parents and publicly calling for their release on several occasions. While they have reputations of being "model prisoners," both brothers had previous infractions that could have influenced the parole board's decision. Both brothers were caught with contraband cell phones, and Lyle has been involved in fights in the prison yard.

Attorney Nancy Tetrault, who was able to get Manson family member Leslie Van Houten parole, told The Los Angeles Times that "They have serious rule violations, including fights, including not coming in from the yards when they were told to. That doesn't sound that bad, but it can be, depending on what they were doing in the yard."

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has been vocally opposed to the possibility of their release since "The central defense of the Menendez brothers at trial has always been self-defense, not sexual abuse. The jury rejected this self-defense defense in finding them guilty of the horrific murders they perpetrated..."

Hochman and/or his office argued against their release in court today, bolstered by evidence from a 75-page Statement of View alleging the brothers' "shifting stories," fabricated alibis, and initial claims of a "mafia hit."

The hearings, which lasted several hours, took place over video conference with Erik and his attorney Heidi Rummel appearing virtually in court. Lyle will face the parole board tomorrow digitally as well, at approximately 8:30 am PST/11:30 am EST. If Lyle is granted parole, California Gavin Newsom will have 120 days to review or reject the decision.

Originally published on Latin Times