Never mind the fact that the new laws have changed, the Menendez brothers remain in the ward. For this reason, California's parole board rejected Lyle Menendez on Friday when he became the first in his family to seek freedom after his younger brother Erik had just undergone a similar ordeal a day before.
In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of murdering their parents and Jose and Kitty Menendez received life sentences without parole. The crime across their Beverly Hills mansion has become one of the most sensational cases of trial throughout the nineties.
Last year, the case was also brought again into the public debate when the Netflix’s Monsters series showcased the brother's story in a documentary and revived it through a dramatized miniseries. Following this renewed attention, a judge switched their sentence from life without parole to 50 years to life, thus making possible for them the chance of clearing parole hearings for the first time.
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However, despite all this change, hopes were doomed as California commissioners declared that both men are still a danger to society. For Lyle Menendez, that rejection means at least three years before the next try against the already negated plea for Erik.
Julie Garland, the California Board of Parole Hearings commissioner, basing on Lyle's previous disciplinary violations, declared that Lyle did not become rehabilitated. And while Hank has taken responsibility for his actions and has made some strides toward rehabilitation, the panel asserted that he was still not ready for reintegration into society.
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"You have been a model prisoner in many respects and you've shown the potential for growth," Garland said, while cautioning that further time was needed for Lyle to demonstrate lasting transformation.
Lyle talked of the irony of timing his parole hearing with the anniversary of his parent's deaths. One would imagine that August 20th was a crushing day for his family, reinforcing the emotional toll of the case.
True, the pair has its share of public sympathy and advocacy for early release; however, the latest development is a huge setback for the Menendez brothers. For the time being, both still languish in prison with the next chance of parole now many years away.
The case is destined to reignite the debate on justice, rehabilitation and even whether society could ever forgive certain crimes after so many decades.
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