A California judicial commission denied parole to Joseph Lyle Menendez at the last minute on Friday, a day after his brother Erik was also ordered to remain in prison for the murder of their parents in 1989, in one of the most high-profile crimes in US history.
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The brothers had achieved an important legal victory in May when the US justice system eased the terms of their sentence, granting them the right to request parole.
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Why were the Menendez brothers denied parole?
Lyle, 57, was denied parole because he did not convince the panel that he is no longer a public threat after an 11-hour hearing. Julie Garland, a member of the parole board who reviewed the case, considered that the older Menendez brother still represents a risk to the community but urged him not to lose hope because the denial “is not the end.” The brothers will be able to request a reassessment of their cases in three years.
The Menéndez family said in a statement that they are “disappointed” by the decision of the review board but they will continue to seek legal measures to achieve their release and hope that the resources presented will be reviewed by another court in the city of Los Angeles.
Emotional closing argument
“My mom and dad didn’t have to die that day,” said emotional Lyle to the board, and explained that the decision to kill his parents in their Beverly Hills mansion was solely his and not his “little brother’s” responsibility. “I am very sorry for everyone, and I will regret it forever,” he added in his final comments to the panel.
The members of the judicial commission questioned Lyle’s actions and pointed out that he broke prison rules by using mobile phones. They also stated that there is a psychological evaluation describing him as a manipulator who refuses to accept the consequences of his actions. “You seem to wear different masks at different times,” reproached Patrick Reardon, one of the panel members.
Erik, 54 years old, received a similar justification 24 hours earlier, as in addition to being considered a danger to society, attempts to cover up, misuse of a cell phone, and violations of the rules of the prison center were added.
The outcome of the hearing is the latest blow to an internet-born movement that demands the release of the brothers from the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of their father and that has grown in recent years with the support of their relatives and even celebrities like Kim Kardashian.
In the 1990s, his trial was one of the most watched on American television, and his story returned to the spotlight with the successful Netflix series “Monsters: The Menendez Brothers’ Story.”