A US judicial commission denied parole Friday to Joseph Lyle Menendez, a day after his brother Erik was also ordered to stay in prison for the murder of their parents in a Beverly Hills mansion more than three decades ago.
A California panel ordered the 57-year-old, who goes by his middle name, to remain behind bars along with his younger sibling, defying a campaign for their freedom waged by family, friends and celebrities including Kim Kardashian.
"Joseph (Lyle) Menendez was denied parole for three years at his initial suitability hearing today," read a brief statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
The outcome of Lyle Menendez's hearing is the latest blow to a movement that has swelled in recent years, amplified by Netflix's smash hit dramatic series "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story".
Read moreJudge reduces Menendez brothers' sentences to offer possibility of parole
The show and myriad documentaries have fixated on the gory details of the 1989 shotgun murders, and the televised jury trial that captivated audiences with accounts of their abusive upbringings and posh lifestyles.
During two days of hearings, the brothers were each questioned by panels of two commissioners and asked to speak with complete candour on the abuse they suffered in childhood, their mindsets leading up to and after the murders and various prison transgressions.
The hearings marked the closest they have come to freedom since their convictions. Despite each receiving three-year denials, they will be eligible to request an administrative review in one year. If granted, they could appear before the parole board again as early as 18 months from now.
An 11-hour hearing
Friday's hearing came just over 36 years after the deaths of parents Jose and Kitty Menendez, in what prosecutors said was a cynical attempt by their sons to obtain a large family fortune.
After setting up alibis and trying to cover their tracks, Erik and Lyle shot Jose Menendez five times with shotguns, including in the kneecaps.
Kitty Menendez died from a shotgun blast as she tried desperately to crawl away from her killers.
The brothers initially blamed the deaths on a mafia hit, but changed their story several times in the ensuing months.
Erik, then 18, confessed to the murders in a session with his therapist.
The pair ultimately claimed they had acted in self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of a tyrannical father.
Erik Menendez's parole denied three decades after parents' murder
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During their decades in prison, changing social mores and greater awareness of sexual abuse helped elevate the men to something approaching cultural icons.
Friday's hearing, which was closed to the public, lasted 11 hours. It was held separately to Thursday's hearing for his brother Erik, 54.
Both brothers appeared by video link from the San Diego prison where they are being held.
The panel members, whose identities was not released by CDCR, quizzed them on their behaviour and attitude towards the murders.
'Patience and grace'
The parole hearings became possible when a judge earlier this year resentenced the men, reducing their original full-life punishment to one of 50 years with the possibility of release.
Aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt, Jose Menendez’s sister, said she is dying from Stage 4 cancer and wishes to welcome them home.
“I want to make clear that although I love my brother, I have fully forgiven Erik,” she said. “Erik carries himself with kindness, integrity and strength that comes from patience and grace.”
Natascha Leonardo, Kitty Menendez’s great-niece, promised the parole board that she would provide a home of “unconditional love and stability” for him in Colorado, where he could spend time with family and nature.
Family members said in a statement that while they are disappointed parole was denied, they are not discouraged.
“We know they are good men who have done the work to rehabilitate and are remorseful,” they said. “We love them unconditionally and will continue to stand by them on the journey ahead.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
English (US) · 