Lyle Menendez was denied parole after nearly 30 years in prison for the 1989 murders of his parents when he was 21. He and his brother were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and later resentenced to 50 years to life, making them eligible for youth offender parole. Erik Menendez was also denied parole and can be re-evaluated in three years or petition to advance. Lyle's hearing was virtual and included review of the crimes, his growth in prison, and consideration of his age at the time and his current age. The board stated it will not retry the case or determine the validity of the defense. Closing statements featured the district attorney, defense counsel, and victims' family members who supported release, while defense counsel emphasized the role of childhood sexual abuse and criticized the D.A.'s adherence to earlier case theory.
During the hearing, Parole Commissioner Julie Garland said they will go over the nature of the crimes, Lyle Menendez's growth while in prison and will give weight to his age at the time of the crime and his age now. "It's also important that you know, we will not be retrying the case, we will not be determining the validity of the defense" that was offered in court, Garland said.
During closing statements, Lyle's parole attorney, Heidi Rummel, accused the D.A. of clinging "to their 1990s theory of the case" and ignores the role that abuse played in the shootings. "I hope that we're in a place today that we have a deeper understanding of childhood sexual abuse."
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