US: Menendez brothers eligible for parole after 35 years in prison

Convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez could leave prison after sentence reduction

Lyle and Erik Menendez, convicted of the 1989 murder of their parents, have been declared eligible for parole after 35 years in prison. The sentence was handed down on 13 May by Judge Michael Jesic of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, who reduced their sentences from life imprisonment to 50 years with parole eligibility.

The Menendez brothers had been sentenced in 1996 to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for killing José and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion. Now, thanks to a revised sentence, the case is back before the state parole board.

During the hearing, Judge Jesic acknowledged the seriousness of the crime, but also emphasised the brothers’ rehabilitation path in prison, calling it “extraordinary” based on the numerous testimonies of prison officials. “I think they have done enough over the last 35 years to one day have a chance to be released,” the judge said.

Although California law makes them immediately eligible for parole, the final decision will rest with the parole board, which will consider their case at a hearing set for 13 June.

The brothers, now 57 and 54, watched the reading of the sentence via video conference from the San Diego prison. According to attorney Cliff Gardner, the two appeared moved and tearful at the news of their possible release.

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