Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of the 1989 fatal shootings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion, are set to appear before a parole board again in March. This hearing will take place about 17 months earlier than previously expected.
The brothers were initially sentenced to life in prison in 1996. A Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life in May 2025, which made them eligible for parole as they were under 26 when the crimes were committed.
They were denied parole in August 2025, with the California parole board citing "anti-social personality traits like deception" in Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez's repeated use of a cellphone in prison. The brothers were then eligible to apply for another hearing in August 2028, but this has now been tentatively moved up to March after their requests for earlier hearings were granted on Friday.
The California department of corrections and rehabilitation permits eligible prisoners to seek earlier parole if there is "a change in circumstances or new information indicating the person may be suitable for parole." The department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the reason for granting the earlier hearing.