Erik and Lyle Menendez were granted on Monday an early parole suitability hearing, tentatively scheduled for March 2027.
The pair were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez
However, relatives of the brothers pushed for years for resentencing and release. Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced in May 2025 to 50 years to life in prison, making them eligible for parole.
The brothers were denied parole in August 2025 for violations in prisons, including illegal cellphones. Erik Menendez was reportedly linked to a prison gang at one time. The parole board said it was not suitable for parole based on their conduct in prison despite the family claiming they were model prisoners.
The brothers were previously eligible to apply for a hearing with the California Board of Parole in August 2028.
“For almost 40 years, Erik and Lyle have worked to take responsibility for their actions, confront and heal from the unimaginable abuse and trauma they endured, grow as individuals, and dedicate themselves to serving others,” the family of Erik and Lyle Menendez told ABC News-owned station KABC in a statement.
This combination of two booking photos provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez.
CDCR
The family said the brothers have established a hospice program and have launched a beautification project during their more than three decades in prison.
“Erik and Lyle were once sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. We will always be profoundly grateful that they have been resentenced and that our family can now imagine a future in which they are once again part of our everyday lives,” the family’s statement continued.
During trial in 1993, prosectors alleged that the brothers — who went on a spending spree after the slayings — killed their wealthy parents for financial gain.
The defense argued the siblings acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father.
The juries for Erik and Lyle Menendez were deadlocked and mistrials were declared for both cases, but a second trial in 1996 — during which the judge barred much of the sex abuse evidence — led to convictions of first-degree murder and two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
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