The Menendez brothers are set to appear for parole board hearings this week after spending nearly 30 years in prison for killing their parents. Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder and were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. The brothers, now 57 and 54, were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Lyle and Erik Menendez were the sons of Jose Menendez, who was a Cuban-American business executive who once held a senior position at RCA Record.In May, their sentences were reduced by a Los Angeles judge to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole under California’s youth offender law because they were under the age of 26 when they committed their crimes.While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance.A panel of parole hearing officers will evaluate the brothers individually. Erik Menendez will have his hearing on Thursday morning, followed by Lyle Menendez on Friday. They will appear over videoconference from prison in San Diego.The board will determine if the brothers present an “unreasonable risk of danger to society” upon release, taking into account their criminal record, motive for the crime, expressions of remorse, conduct in prison, and future plans, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.The Menendez brothers’ appellate attorney, Mark Geragos, has said their parole hearings should be about redemption and not about relitigating the facts of the case. Several family members came forward to express forgiveness and advocate for their freedom from prison. These relatives indicated they had moved past the trauma of the murders and believed the brothers deserved a second chance after nearly 30 years of incarceration.
