Erik Menendez denied parole, decades after parents' murder

A judicial commission denied parole this Thursday to Erik Menendez, a man jailed for murdering his parents in 1989 in one of the most publicized crimes in the country's history. This Friday the agency must also evaluate the petition of his brother Lyle, an accomplice in the murder.

Erik, 54, "was denied parole for (a period of) three years" at the hearing, according to a statement from the commission of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Services.

The decision represents a blow to the claim of his family and friends, who also support celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, in a movement that grew in recent years fueled by a series and a documentary, hits on Netflix last year.

Brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without parole for a patricide that rocked the nation decades earlier. Both alleged sexual abuse by their father in justification of the crime, in one of the first trials broadcast on television.

After more than 30 years incarcerated with a sentence with no possibility of reduction, the brothers won an important legal victory in May, when the justice system eased the terms of their sentence.

This gave them the right to apply for parole if they prove that they are repentant and do not pose a danger to society. The case of Lyle, 57, will be examined separately this Friday.

"a traumatic journey"

Thursday's hearing, closed to the public, lasted 10 hours, instead of two or three as planned. Erik appeared by videoconference from the San Diego prison where he and his brother are being held.

Some board members, whose identities the commission did not disclose, questioned him about his behavior and attitude toward the murders.

"Today is the day that all my victims found out that my parents were dead," he said during the hearing, which was held 36 years and one day after his relatives learned of the murder. "So today is the anniversary of a traumatic journey," Erik said.

Parole Board Commissioner Robert Barton issued the ruling, stating that while the board gave "great weight to the youthful offender factors," Erik Menendez was found to be unfit for release because he allegedly violated prison rules and was still willing to commit crimes, according to Deadline.

More than a dozen family members testified to assure that they had forgiven the Menendez brothers and asked for their release. Erik Menendez will not be eligible for parole again until 2028.