Lyle Menendez denied parole a day after brother Eric, nearly 35 years after parents’ murders

A California state parole board has denied release for Lyle Menendez, just one day after his younger brother Eric was also rejected. The Menendez brothers have spent nearly 35 years behind bars for the 1989 killings of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home.

At his hearing, 57-year-old Lyle Menendez admitted, “My mom and dad did not have to die that day,” saying the decision to kill them was his alone and not his younger brother’s responsibility. Reporters inside the hearing noted he was visibly emotional, acknowledging the anniversary of what he called a “crushing day” for his family.

The parole board, however, found that Lyle continued to struggle with honesty. A deputy district attorney emphasized that he has a documented history of lying to avoid responsibility, arguing that this pattern remained central to his case. While Lyle, like his brother, maintains that years of alleged sexual abuse led to the killings, prosecutors remain skeptical of his claims.

Defense attorney Heidi Rummel described Lyle as someone who spent the first 21 years of his life in “the prison of his home” and the rest in state prison, urging the board to consider his rehabilitation. The board acknowledged that Lyle had shown remorse and, in many ways, had been a model inmate with the potential for change. However, they concluded that deeper issues—such as deception and minimization—still prevented his release.

Despite the setback, the brothers’ cousin expressed optimism, noting that just a few years ago the possibility of parole was not even considered. Lyle himself thanked relatives for standing by him through decades of public scrutiny.

The parole commissioner left him with a message of cautious encouragement: “Don’t ever not have hope. This denial is not the end. It’s a way for you to spend some time to demonstrate, to practice what you preach about who you are, who you want to be.”

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