Erik Menendez, the younger of the infamous brothers convicted of murdering their parents in Los Angeles in 1989, has been denied parole. Yesterday, Menendez made his first appeal for release, months after a judge reduced both his and his brother Lyle’s sentences, making them eligible for parole.The brothers, now aged 57 and 54, were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1996 after being convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home.The case resurfaced in public attention last year following the release of a Netflix documentary and miniseries. A panel of two California commissioners ruled against granting Erik Menendez parole after an all-day hearing that reviewed his conduct in prison.While some of Menendez’s relatives supported his release, commissioner Robert Barton stated: “Two things can be true. They can love and forgive you, and you can still be found unsuitable for parole.”According to Barton, the primary reason for denying parole was Menendez’s alleged misconduct behind bars, which included involvement with a prison gang, drug purchases, use of mobile phones, and participation in a tax scam.During the hearing, Menendez admitted that he had little hope of release until Los Angeles prosecutors sought resentencing for him and his brother last November, saying he had focused primarily on survival in prison.“In November of 2024, now the consequences mattered,” Menendez said. “Now the consequences meant I was destroying my life.”He also reflected on the timing of the hearing, noting that it fell nearly 36 years after the killings, which he described as the “anniversary” of a “trauma journey.”Los Angeles prosecutor Habib Balian challenged Menendez’s claims of rehabilitation, asking whether he was “truly reformed” or simply saying what commissioners wanted to hear.“When one continues to diminish their responsibility for a crime and continues to make the same false excuses that they’ve made for 30-plus years, one is still that same dangerous person that they were when they shotgunned their parents,” Balian said.With Thursday’s decision, Menendez will be eligible for another parole hearing in three years. Lyle Menendez is scheduled to appear via video conference for his parole hearing on Friday.•