Thirty-six years after he and his brother, Erik Menendez, were convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty, Lyle Menendez was denied parole by a panel of California commissioners.

On Friday, August 22, a California parole board delivered the decision following a virtual hearing featuring statements from Menendez, relatives and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, CNN reported.

“We find your remorse is genuine. In many ways, you look like you’ve been a model inmate,” Parole Commissioner Julie Garland said. “You have been a model inmate in many ways who has demonstrated the potential for change. But despite all those outward positives, we see … you still struggle with anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization and rule breaking that lie beneath that positive surface.”

Although Mendendez’s bid for parole was denied, Garland told him, “don’t ever not have hope,” as the decision is “not the end.”

She continued, “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. Don’t be somebody different behind closed doors.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom still has the power to reverse parole decisions, so Menendez could still walk free. In three years, he may be eligible for parole again. Additionally, Menendez will be considered for “administrative review” within one year and may be granted a second parole hearing  in 18 months.

On Thursday, August 21, Lyle’s brother, Erik, was also denied parole by a California review board in his first appearance before the board. According to the board, the decision was based on multiple factors, including his behavior in prison, the crimes he participated in before the murders, and the murder of his mother, Kitty. The board noted that he is eligible for parole in three years.

“The killing of your mother especially showed a lack of empathy and reason,” Commissioner Robert Barton said.

In response, Erik Menendez said he shot his mother because she had “betrayed him,” as the defense asserted that the Menendez brothers had been driven to violence by years of physical and sexual abuse at their father’s hands.

However, Barton stated that it was Erik Menendez’s behavior in prison that was the primary reason for the denial of his parole. “Contrary to your supporters’ beliefs, you have not been a model prisoner, and frankly, we find that a little disturbing,” Barton said.

In August 1989, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were accused of brutally murdering their wealthy parents in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers admitted to the killings, but claimed it was in response to years of abuse. Prosecutors argued that their motive was greed, motivated by their inheritance, and the brothers were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In September 2024, Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan reignited public interest in the case by presenting the brothers as victims.

“Our view and what we wanted to do was present you all the facts and have you do two things: make up your own mind about who’s innocent, who’s guilty, and who’s the monster, and also have a conversation about something that’s never talked about in our culture, which is male sexual abuse, which we do responsibly,” said Murphy in an interview with E! News.

In addition, Netflix’s The Menendez Brothers documentary allowed them to tell their own story, exploring claims of trial bias and examining the abuse they said they endured.

As a result of these series, public opinion began to shift, as viewers began seeing the brothers in a more sympathetic light. In May 2025, a judge resentenced the brothers to 50‑to‑life, making them eligible for parole, which many believe was a direct outcome of the renewed attention and advocacy sparked by the Netflix productions.