Officials from California prisons have made public the audio recordings from the parole hearings of Erik and Lyle Menendez.
In August, the state denied the Menendez brothers’ initial parole request but showed some leniency by applying the minimum three-year denial. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, state law mandates that the parole board schedule a subsequent hearing in three, five, seven, ten, or fifteen years.
The hearings largely examined the brothers’ conduct while incarcerated. During Erik’s hearing, the panel referenced his “behavior in prison” as the cornerstone of their decision. They indicated that his infractions could have warranted longer five-year denials instead of the three-year one they imposed.
When asked about his behavior, Erik acknowledged that he had contributed to escalating tensions by getting into fights while in prison.
“During that period of my incarceration, I felt I was bullied and needed to defend myself, at least in my perspective back then,” Erik remarked. “Looking back, I realize how absurd that was.”
Erik further addressed inquiries about his drug use, which included alcohol, heroin, and marijuana.
“I started using marijuana due to my Crohn’s disease,” Erik explained. “But I also used it because I was unhappy. I struggled with depression.”
Both brothers admitted to breaching prison regulations regarding computer and cell phone use. Lyle mentioned he used them to communicate with his wife and for community service purposes.
“I thought I was using it for positive reasons, and not in a way that I considered harmful,” Lyle stated. “At the time, it didn’t seem damaging to anyone.”
Erik revealed that he spent roughly $1,000 on each of his cell phones, which he utilized to talk to his wife and to watch videos, including pornography, on YouTube.
“I didn’t believe, nor allowed myself to believe, that I could ever leave prison,” he shared. “I thought I would die behind bars.”
The Menendez brothers were convicted in 1995 for the murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, in their home in Beverly Hills. They received life sentences without the possibility of parole in 1996.
In May, a judge modified their sentences to 50 years to life, allowing them eligibility for parole under California’s youth offender law since they were under 26 at the time of the crimes.
The brothers continue to assert that they acted in self-defense after enduring years of alleged physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from their parents. Their appellate attorney, Mark Geragos, along with several family members, believes that the brothers have undergone significant changes over their decades in prison.
On Monday, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected the Menendez brothers’ request for a new trial, effectively closing off one of their alternative pathways to freedom.
