The Menendez brothers, imprisoned 37 years in the gruesome murder of their parents, are getting a second shot at freedom.
Lyle and Erik Menendez have been granted an early parole hearing for March 2027, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records show.
The move came after an administrative review to advance their next parole suitability hearing date was approved on Sept. 3.
Both serving life sentences without parole for the slayings, the brothers were convicted in 1996 of killing Jose and Kitty Menendez after their highly publicized and televised first trial ended in a mistrial. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18. They are now 58 and 55, respectively.
The brutal shotgun killings took place in 1989 inside the family’s Beverly Hills home. Jose Menendez was a successful music executive and Kitty Menendez was a socialite.
Undated file combo image of brothers Erik (L) and Lyle Menendez who were convicted March 20, 1996 of the first-degree murder of their wealthy Beverly Hills parents. The brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment.
As of Sept. 9, online records showed the brothers remained incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
During a previous parole suitability hearing in August 2025, the brothers were denied parole for three years.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will ultimately determine whether to accept or reject the board’s recommendation.
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Will the Menendez brothers be granted parole?
In October 2024, former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón filed a recommendation in court to resentence the brothers, asking for the possibility of parole to be put back on the table in light of new evidence.
The penalty for two murders is 50 years to life in prison, but since the brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, Gascón said they would be immediately eligible for parole under California law.
Gascón sent letters to Newsom noting the brothers’ “credible allegations” of sexual and physical abuse from their father.
Erik Menendez attends his Board of Parole hearing online from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, U.S., August 21, 2025, that could lead to freedom after decades in prison for the 1989 shotgun murders of his parents.
Lyle Menendez attends his Board of Parole hearing online from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, U.S., August 22, 2025, that could lead to freedom after decades in prison for the 1989 shotgun murders of his parents.
The letter also cited years of “dedication to rehabilitation.” Gascón has met with family members who have been pleading for the brothers’ release and previously told reporters he believes the brothers “have paid their debt to society.”
Gascón lost his bid for relection in 2024 after being defeated by Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, who in open court last year said he opposed resentencing the brothers.
During an April 11, 2025 hearing, the prosecutor attempted to persuade Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic that the state should be allowed to withdraw the petition for resentencing, USA TODAY previously reported. In the end the judge denied Hochman’s motion and ruled to go forward with the resentencing hearing and in May 2025 reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci with USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Menendez brothers convicted in parents’ killings granted early parole hearing
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