Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in Los Angeles of murdering their parents in Beverly Hills, California, in August 1989. A first trial before two separate juries ended in January 1994 without a verdict for either brother. At a retrial before a single jury, in March 1996, both were found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and in July 1996 each was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In May 2025 a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge resentenced both to 50 years to life, which made them eligible for parole. A state parole panel denied each brother parole in August 2025.
José and Kitty Menendez were the father and mother of Lyle and Erik Menendez. They died in August 1989 in Beverly Hills. The brothers were their sons and the only defendants in the case.
Lyle Menendez was arrested in March 1990, and Erik Menendez surrendered a few days later. Both were accused of first-degree murder. A Los Angeles County grand jury indicted them in December 1992, and the case went to trial in Los Angeles in July 1993, with a separate jury for each brother. The prosecution argued that the killings were motivated by money. The defense argued that the brothers had acted in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.
The 1993 trials were televised. Both juries deadlocked, and in January 1994 a mistrial was declared. Neither jury could decide between first-degree murder and the lesser offense of manslaughter, and no verdict was entered for either brother.
The retrial began in October 1995 before one jury, without cameras in the courtroom. On March 20, 1996, the jury found both brothers guilty of two counts each of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The jury rejected the abuse defense. The defense has since said that much of its evidence on the alleged abuse was excluded from the retrial.
In July 1996 the court sentenced each brother to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
At both trials the defense alleged that the brothers had suffered long-term abuse by their father, and that this explained their acts. The prosecution disputed the allegation and argued that the killings were planned for financial reasons.
In May 2023 the brothers' appellate attorney filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus asking the court to vacate the murder convictions. The petition rested on two items of new evidence offered in support of the abuse allegations: a letter written by Erik Menendez before the killings, and a declaration from a man who alleged that the father had abused him. The petition argued that the abuse evidence meant the brothers should have been convicted of manslaughter, not murder.
In October 2024 the Los Angeles County District Attorney at the time announced that he would seek resentencing to 50 years to life. His successor, who took office in December 2024, opposed both the habeas petition and the resentencing. In February 2025 the new District Attorney asked the court to deny the petition, arguing that the new evidence lacked credibility and that abuse allegations did not decide the question of guilt.
In September 2025 the Superior Court denied the petition. The judge wrote that the new evidence "slightly corroborates" the abuse claims but "does not negate the finding of premeditation and deliberation and the lying in wait special circumstance," and that neither item was strong enough to create reasonable doubt for even one juror. The District Attorney said the motion was over "for now" unless the brothers appealed, and that he expected appellate courts to reach the same result.
On May 13, 2025, the same Superior Court resentenced both brothers to 50 years to life, replacing the sentences of life without the possibility of parole. The defense attorney said the judge had struck the special circumstance. The brothers' attorney had asked for the murder counts to be reduced to manslaughter, which would have allowed immediate release, and the judge did not go that far. The judge said that he believed the brothers had "done enough in the past 35 years" to have a chance at parole. The District Attorney opposed resentencing and said the brothers should not be released "just not yet." A state parole board risk assessment, ordered by the Governor, had rated each brother a moderate risk of violence.
The Board of Parole Hearings held a suitability hearing for Erik Menendez on August 21, 2025, and for Lyle Menendez on August 22, 2025. Both were denied parole. Each brother was told he could seek parole again in three years, or earlier on a petition to advance the hearing. The panel found that prison rule violations, including cellphone use, meant that each brother still posed a risk to public safety. For Lyle Menendez the panel said it found his remorse genuine and credited his lack of violence and his programming, but cited "anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization and rule-breaking."
Both brothers remain held in California under their resentenced terms of 50 years to life. A request for clemency from the Governor was pending when the habeas petition was denied in September 2025. On September 7, 2026 the Board of Parole Hearings granted each brother an early parole suitability hearing, tentatively scheduled for March 2027.
The prosecution has always disputed the defense account of abuse by the father, and the court that denied the habeas petition in 2025 found that the new evidence did not change the findings of premeditation and deliberation. The defense maintains that the abuse was real and that the brothers acted out of fear.
August 1989: The brothers' parents die in Beverly Hills.
March 1990: Lyle Menendez is arrested and Erik Menendez surrenders.
December 1992: A Los Angeles County grand jury indicts both brothers.
July 1993: Separate-jury trials begin in Los Angeles.
January 1994: Both juries deadlock and a mistrial is declared.
October 1995: The retrial begins before one jury.
March 20, 1996: Both brothers are convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
July 1996: Each is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
May 2023: A habeas petition is filed.
February 2025: The District Attorney asks the court to deny the petition.
May 13, 2025: Both are resentenced to 50 years to life.
August 21 and 22, 2025: Parole is denied to Erik and Lyle Menendez.
September 2025: The habeas petition is denied.
September 7, 2026: The parole board grants early suitability hearings, tentatively for March 2027.