Parole hearings for Menendez brothers set for early 2027
LOS ANGELES -- The Menendez brothers will have another opportunity in 2027 to convince a parole board they should be set free.
ABC News has confirmed Lyle's next hearing has been tentatively set for February 23, while Erik's is set for the next day. Both will join the hearing from their prison in San Diego County right near the border with Tijuana.
An inmate can request an earlier hearing if they argue they have made positive progress in prison, if their are new aspects to their argument for release, if the victims' families support it, among other criteria. Their case is unique because the victims' family members are also their own family members who support the brothers.
Last August a parole board said both of the brothers were making progress but that they still posed a risk to public safety, after killing their parents in 1989, and had openly broken the rules in prison.
One of the key portions of the parole board's decision was the fact that both brothers had openly used smuggled in cell phones while in prison. That was seen as their willingness to openly break the rules while trying to gain freedom on the claim that they were model inmates.
The parole board said the brothers struggle with anti-social personality traits like deception and rule breaking that sits beneath the positive surface.
Supporters have pushed for their release due to the brothers' claims they were abused. But the Los Angeles County District Attorney has said his office will argue against it.
