Judge Michael Jesic said he was convinced the brothers deserved a new sentence due to all the work they did in prison on behalf of the inmate population.
On the 36th anniversary of the day they gunned down their parents in their Beverly Hills home, Erik and Lyle Menendez were preparing Wednesday to appear before a state parole board panel in separate hearings in their bid to win their release from prison.
Erik Menendez, 54, and Lyle Menendez, 57, have spent about 35 years behind bars without the possibility of parole for the Aug. 20, 1989, shotgun killings of Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. The Menendez brothers claim the killings were committed after years of abuse, including alleged sexual abuse by their father.
In May, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic re-sentenced them to 50 years to life in prison, making them immediately eligible for parole consideration because they were younger than 26 when the crime occurred.
The judge said then that he was convinced the brothers deserved a new sentence due to all the work they did in prison on behalf of the inmate population. The judge also noted unexpected letters he had received in support of the brothers from correction officers, including a lieutenant.Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit in a Beverly Hills courtroom on May 14, 1990. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
Erik is set for a parole suitability hearing Thursday at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, while his brother is set for a parole suitability hearing at the same prison on Friday.
If the parole board recommends one or both brothers for parole, the issue will then be forwarded to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will have 90 days to review the matter and could reject the parole grant. Attorneys for the brothers have also submitted a request for Newsom to consider granting clemency to the pair.
“As always, our family remains cautiously optimistic, grounding ourselves in the reality that California’s parole process is incredibly rigorous, with low grant rates,” the brothers’ family said in a statement issued Wednesday ahead of the hearings. “We respect that and know Erik and Lyle are prepared for that level of scrutiny.
“For more than 35 years, they have shown sustained growth. They’ve taken full accountability. They express sincere remorse to our family to this day and have built a meaningful life defined by purpose and service.
