Like his brother, Lyle Menedez denied parole in first apperance before California board
As reported in this Fox News piece, “Lyle Menendez, one of the two brothers convicted in the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents in Beverly Hills, was denied parole by a California review board on Friday in his first appearance before the board.” Here is more:
The decision came after his brother, Erik, was denied parole on Thursday. The brothers will be eligible to go before the parole board again in three years.
The California Board of Parole Hearings recommendation marks a significant development in the decades-long case that drew international attention, with the brothers’ televised trial becoming one of the most infamous of the 1990s. Lyle, now 57, has spent more than 30 years behind bars….
A panel of parole hearing officers evaluated the brothers individually. Similarly to his brother, Lyle Menendez faced the board via video conference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. “The panel has found today that there are still signs” that Lyle poses a risk to the public, Parole Commissioner Julie Garland said.
“We find your remorse is genuine,” she said. “In many ways, you look like you’ve been a model inmate. You have been a model inmate in many ways who has demonstrated the potential for change. But despite all those outward positives, we see … you still struggle with anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization and rule breaking that lie beneath that positive surface.”
“Don’t ever not have hope … this denial is not … it’s not the end,” Garland added. “It’s a way for you to spend some time to demonstrate, to practice what you preach about who you are, who you want to be.”
The board members mentioned Lyle’s history of breaking rules behind bars and his repeated cellphone use in prison. “You seem to be different things at different times,” Deputy Parole Commissioner Patrick Reardon said….
The brothers’ family said in a statement after Lyle’s hearing that “this is not the end of the road,” and that both will go before the board again, and their habeas petition remains under review. “While we are of course disappointed by today’s decision as well, we are not discouraged. The process for parole is exceptionally rigorous, but we are incredibly proud of how Erik and Lyle showed up — with honesty, accountability, and integrity.”
The California Board of Parole Hearings (BPH), under the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), has 21 full-time commissioners. Each commissioner is appointed by the Governor of California and confirmed by the state Senate. The commissioners serve three-year terms, with the brothers’ each meeting with 2-3 commissioners.
Because the California Board of Parole Hearings did not recommend Lyle Menendez for parole, he will remain incarcerated. [California Governor] Newsom, while he’ll be unable to reverse the independent board’s decision, will still be able to affirm, reverse, or take no action on the board’s decision. Under California law, he has 30 days to make a decision. If the governor chooses not to act, the parole board’s decision stands.
Some prior related posts:
- Kim Kardashian advocates reconsidering Menendez brothers’ LWOP sentences just as Los Angeles DA begins to do so
- LA District Attorney announces that he will seek resentencing for the Menendez brothers
- Continuing coverage and comment on Menendez brothers’ possible resentencing
- California Gov to hold off on Menedez clemency decision pending resentencing review by new DA
- New Los Angeles DA asks to withdraw prior DA’s motion for resentencing in Menedez brothers’ case
- Judge rejects new Los Angeles DA’s request to revoke predecessor’s resentencing petition for Menendez brothers
- Menendez brothers resentenced by California judge to 50 years to life, making them parole eligible
- Eric Menedez denied parole due to “behavior in prison”