Erik Menendez denied parole after ‘disturbing’ behaviour in prison

The younger of the Menendez brothers, who killed their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion 36 years ago, has been denied parole.

Erik, 54, and Lyle Menendez, 57, were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the brutal murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989.

The pair were at the center of a media firestorm in the 1990s when their case went to trial, and attention has refocused on the pair after multiple documentaries.

It has now emerged that Erik has been denied early release because of his ‘disturbing’ behavior in prison.

After a 10-hour hearing, California’s parole board decided he had not been the model prisoner lauded by his supporters, arguing that he is still a risk to public safety.

Erik will now remain behind bars for at least another three years before being considered for parole.

His hearing, held through video conference at the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego, dealt a crushing blow to to the brothers’ decades-long fight for freedom.

The parole board questioned Erik about the murders, his time in prison and his involvement in two burglaries before the killings.

After the nearly all-day session, commissioner Robert Barton told Erik and Erik Menendez and about a dozen supportive relatives he was not ready for release.

Barton said: ‘I believe in redemption, or I wouldn’t be doing this job. But based on the legal standards, we find that you continue to pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.

‘Contrary to your supporters’ beliefs, you have not been a model prisoner and frankly, we find that a little disturbing.’

Barton cited Erik’s ‘serious violations’ of prison rules, including possession of contraband cell phones.

Despite the decision, his brother Lyle could still be granted parole in a separate hearing to be held on Friday morning.

The pair and their supporters have been campaigning to for release after more than three decades behind bars.

Those efforts led a judge to reduce their sentences to 50 years to life with the possibility of parole in May.

Thursday’s parole board decision is not final and must be reviewed by the California Board of Parole chief counsel and Governor Gavin Newsom. The chief counsel has 120 days to consider the decision and if approved, it goes to Newsom, who will have 30 days.

Their is also hope that the Governor Newsom could grant the brothers clemency.

A judge is also separately considering a request new trial of the brother’s due to the discovery of additional evidence.

The brothers have long claimed that their father threatened to kill them if they told anyone about their abuse, and that they acted out of self-defense.

Prosecutors say, however, that the brothers murdered their parents with greed and showed evidence of their massive spending after the murders.

The Menendez brothers’ parents were found shot dead with a shotgun in August 1989.

Both brothers initially told detectives that the murders were related to the Mafia or had something to do with their father’s business dealings.

Suspicions were raised after Lyle Menendez told his therapist, Jerome Oziel, that he and his brother were the killers.

In 1992, the brothers were tried separately, in trials that were broadcast on TV.

The brothers plead guilty to the murders, but said it was in self-defense as they claimed their father had been abusing them for years.

The juries were deadlocked, and so a second trial was ordered – with Lyle and Erik tried together.

They were found guilty, and in 1996 started life sentences with no possibility of parole. Both appealed, but those were denied by the US District Court.

Their case has inspired the Netflix true crime series Monsters.

Just weeks before his parole hearing, Erik needed surgery for kidney stone complications. He was hospitalised in late July.

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