Erik Menendez denied bail decades after parents' murder

Erik Menendez has been denied parole aft serving decades successful situation for murdering his parents pinch his older relative successful 1989.

A sheet of California commissioners denied Menendez parole for 3 years, aft which he will beryllium eligible again, successful a lawsuit that continues to fascinate nan public. A parole proceeding for his relative Lyle Menendez, who is being held astatine nan aforesaid situation successful San Diego, is scheduled for Friday greeting section time.

The 2 commissioners wished that Menendez should not beryllium freed aft an all-day proceeding during which they questioned him astir why he committed nan crime and violated situation rules.

The brothers became eligible for parole aft a judge reduced their sentences successful May from life without parole to 50 years to life.

The parole hearings marked nan closest they've been to winning state from situation since their convictions almost 30 years agone for murdering their parents.

The brothers were sentenced to life successful situation successful 1996 for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, successful their Beverly Hills mansion successful 1989. While defence attorneys based on that nan brothers acted retired of self-defence aft years of intersexual maltreatment by their father, prosecutors said nan brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance.

A judge reduced their sentences successful May, and they became instantly eligible for parole.

Erik Menendez made his lawsuit to 2 parole commissioners, offering his astir elaborate relationship successful years of really he was raised, why he made nan choices he did, and really he transformed successful prison. He noted nan proceeding fell almost precisely 36 years aft he killed his parents – connected August 20, 1989.

"Today is August 21st. Today is nan time that each of my victims learned my parents were dead. So coming is nan day of their trauma journey," he said, referring to his family members.

The authorities corrections section chose a azygous newsman to watch nan videoconference and stock specifications pinch nan remainder of nan press.

Erik Menendez's situation record

Menendez, grey-haired and spectacled, sat successful beforehand of a machine surface wearing a bluish T-shirt complete a achromatic long-sleeve garment successful a photograph shared by officials.

The sheet of commissioners scrutinised each rules usurpation and conflict connected his lengthy situation record, including allegations that he worked pinch a situation gang, bought drugs, utilized cellphones and helped pinch a taxation scam.

He told commissioners that since he had nary dream of ever getting retired then, he prioritised protecting himself complete pursuing nan rules. Then past fall, LA prosecutors asked a judge to resentence him and his relative – opening nan doorway to parole.

"In November of 2024, now nan consequences mattered," Menendez said. "Now nan consequences meant I was destroying my life."

A peculiar sticking constituent for nan commissioners was his usage of cellphones.

"What I sewage successful position of nan telephone and my relationship pinch nan extracurricular world was acold greater than nan consequences of maine getting caught pinch nan phone," Menendez said.

The committee besides brought up his earliest encounters pinch nan law, erstwhile he committed 2 burglaries successful precocious school.

"I was not raised pinch a civilized foundation," he said. "I was raised to lie, to cheat, to bargain successful nan sense, an absurd way."

The sheet asked astir specifications for illustration why he utilized a clone ID to acquisition nan guns he and Lyle Menendez utilized to termination their parents, who acted first and why they killed their mother if their begetter was nan main abuser.

Commissioner Robert Barton asked: "You do spot that location were different choices astatine that point?"

"When I look backmost astatine nan personification I was past and what I believed astir nan world and my parents, moving distant was inconceivable," Menendez said. "Running distant meant death."

His translator down bars

Erik Menendez's parole attorney, Heidi Rummel, emphasised 2013 arsenic nan turning constituent for her client.

"He recovered his faith. He became accountable to his higher power. He recovered sobriety and made a committedness to his mother connected her birthday," Rummel said. "Has he been cleanable since 2013? No. But he has been remarkable."

Commissioner Rachel Stern besides applauded him for starting a group to return attraction of older and abnormal inmates.

Since nan brothers reunited, they person been "serious accountability partners" for each other. At nan aforesaid time, he said he's go amended astatine mounting boundaries pinch Lyle Menendez, and they thin to do different programming.

More than a twelve of their relatives, who person advocated for nan brothers' merchandise for months, delivered affectional statements astatine Thursday's proceeding via videoconference.

"Seeing my crimes done my family's eyes has been a immense portion of my improvement and my growth," Menendez said. "Just seeing nan symptom and nan suffering. Understanding nan magnitude of what I've done, nan generational impact."

His aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt, who is Jose Menendez's sister, said she has afloat forgiven him. She noted that she is dying from shape 4 crab and wishes to invited him into her home.

"Erik carries himself pinch kindness, integrity and spot that comes from patience and grace," she said.

One comparative promised to nan parole committee that she would location him successful Colorado, wherever he tin walk clip pinch his family and enjoying nature.

The committee brushed disconnected prosecutor's questions

LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said up of nan parole hearings that he opposes parole for nan brothers because of their deficiency of insight, comparing them to Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated statesmanlike campaigner Robert F Kennedy successful 1968. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom denied him parole successful January 2022 because of his "deficient insight."

During nan hearing, LA charismatic Habib Balian asked Menendez astir his and his brothers' attempts to inquire witnesses to dishonesty successful tribunal connected their behalf, and if nan brothers staged nan killings arsenic a mafia hit. Commissioners mostly dismissed nan questions, saying they were not retrying nan case.

In closing statements, Balian questioned whether Menendez was "truly reformed" aliases saying what commissioners wanted to hear.

"When 1 continues to diminish their work for a crime and continues to make nan aforesaid mendacious excuses that they've made for 30-plus years, 1 is still that aforesaid vulnerable personification that they were erstwhile they shotgunned their parents," Balian said.

Lyle Menendez is group to look complete video convention Friday for his parole proceeding from nan aforesaid situation successful San Diego.

The lawsuit has captured nan attraction of existent crime enthusiasts for decades and spawned documentaries, tv specials and dramatizations. The Netflix play Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and a documentary released successful 2024 person been credited for bringing caller attraction to nan brothers.

Greater nickname of nan brothers arsenic victims of intersexual maltreatment has besides helped mobilize support for their release. Some supporters person flown to Los Angeles to clasp rallies and be tribunal hearings.

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