How long have the Menendez brothers been in prison? Suge Knight slams parole board for denying Erik Menendez’s parole 

The Menendez brothers, both Erik and Lyle, have spent over 30 years in jail after they were convicted of the murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.

The case achieved national media coverage in the early 1990s and concluded in 1996, with both brothers sentenced to life without parole following their guilty convictions of first-degree murder.

In March 2025, the Menendez brothers were resentenced to 50 years to life, which put them in a situation to seek parole under the California youth offender parole law.

Although the two brothers have already served over 36 years in custody, they have both been denied parole during their separate hearings held in August 2025. The judgments have drawn public attention, including objections by former music executive Suge Knight, who is incarcerated in the same facility.

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Menendez Brothers Denied Parole in Parents’ Murder Case After 35 Years, Despite Renewed Support

On August 21, 2025, Erik Menendez was before the California Parole Board, marking his first time back in front of the Parole Board since his resentencing earlier that year. In the hearing, the board examined his prison history, stating that he had numerous violations of the rules and was therefore still a threat to public safety.

These misconducts consisted of the ownership of contraband cellphones, former gang affiliation, and participation in a tax-based prison-related scheme. The parole board refused to grant Erik his request, deciding that he would not get a new hearing until at least three years later, meaning that his next possible date of parole is 2028.

After the denial, Suge Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, who is also locked up at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, spoke out against the board’s decision. Knight told TMZ Live that the parole system provides inmates with unrealistic hopes, penalizes prisoners based on previous violations, and counters the concept of rehabilitation.

As Knight argued, “nobody’s perfect”, and the refusal to grant Erik Menendez parole indicates much deeper problems with the parole system.

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Arrest of the Menendez brothers

The Menendez brothers carried out the killings of their parents in August 1989 by shooting them in their Beverly Hills mansion. Defense counselors in the trials in the 1990s stated that years of abuse by the family had caused the brothers to commit the killing, and the prosecutors claimed that they were motivated by financial gain.

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Lyle Menendez has been denied parole, a day after his brother Erik was also denied. (https://t.co/BE0c74JzD1)

Both brothers were finally found guilty by the jury of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

In May 2025, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold resentenced the brothers under a California youth offender law, which grants parole to those who have committed crimes before the age of 26. When the murders happened, Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18, which would put them under the revised statute.

This shift enabled both brothers to request parole hearings, the first time in almost 30 years. Erik and Lyle appeared before the court on 21 and 22 August 2025, respectively. Even though resentencing is still a new and legal possibility of release, the decision of parole focuses on the disciplinary records.

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Stay tuned for more updates on the Menendez brothers.