Erik Menendez, the youngest of the infamous Menendez brothers, was denied parole on Thursday, Aug. 21, in California.
The California Board of Parole’s decision came 36 years after Erik, 54, and his brother Lyle, 57, brutally shotgunned their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion.
Erik and Lyle were 18 and 21 at the time.
After the brutal slayings, the Menendez brothers changed clothes, buried the shotguns near Mulholland Drive, and went to a movie theater to purchase tickets to establish their alibis.
Following a mistrial, the brothers were convicted in a second trial in 1996 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
However, in May 2025, a judge reduced their sentences to 50 years-to-life, making them eligible for parole consideration.
The sentence reduction came in response to public sentiment after Netflix aired a documentary about Erik and Lyle.
The parole board found that, in recent months, Erik had been cited for breaking prison rules for contraband violations. Specifically, he had been caught in the possession of cellphones that he bought from prison guards.
The parole board members were disturbed by the details of Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez’s murder.
Erik (pictured left during the first trial in 1994) told the board that he shot his mother point blank in the face because she knew about the alleged abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.
“I wish to God I did not do that,” he said.
Erik was also cited for inappropriate behavior with visitors, drug dealing, and helping other inmates commit tax fraud.
Erik’s supporters, including celebrities, reacted with outrage to the news that his parole was denied.
One YouTuber wrote, “It’s insane how people are defending these monsters just because they were featured on Netflix.”
Lyle Melendez goes before a different parole board on Friday, Aug. 22.
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