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After more than 30 years behind bars, Lyle and Erik Menendez are expressing cautious optimism about a future outside prison walls. The brothers, convicted in 1996 for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in Beverly Hills, are now preparing for a parole hearing set for June — their first real shot at release in decades.
“We’re cautiously hopeful,” Lyle Menendez, 57, said in a jailhouse interview aired by Fox. His brother Erik, 54, echoed the sentiment: “Hope for the future is really kind of a new thing for us.”
Their case, one of the most infamous in American true crime history, initially captivated the nation not only for its brutality but for the twist it took during the first trial. The Menendez brothers said they endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, Jose Menendez, a prosperous music executive. That case ended in a hung jury. Prosecutors in the second trial, nonetheless, argued the murders were driven by greed. The jury agreed, sentencing the brothers to life without parole.
That statement can now be reevaluated. Under provisions of a 2018 California law, inmates under 26 at the time of their conviction are eligible to be heard by a parole board. A request for resentencing was first made by former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón but has since been withdrawn by his replacement Nathan Hochman, who has taken a tougher stance against the release of the brothers.
Hochman’s move has evoked legal and public outrage. Two former prosecutors who had previously defended the resentencing of the Menendez brothers are suing Hochman currently for retaliation. The Menendez brothers’ relatives have also criticized the DA for what they perceive to be a biased, flippant attitude.
Despite the controversy, the brothers remain focused on their personal growth. In prison, they’ve led rehabilitation programs, taught trauma classes, and supported inmates struggling with mental health. “Our lives will be spent doing the work we’re doing in here, out there,” Erik said.
But others are skeptical. The initial case was followed by retired detectives and reporters, who warn that the brothers remain manipulative and self-serving. With the parole hearing on the horizon, the final decision now rests with the board—and possibly a judge.
Meanwhile, the Menendez brothers are holding onto hope that their decades behind bars have changed not just who they are, but how the world sees them.
