LOS ANGELES: The Menendez brothers will make their cases for parole starting Thursday, marking the closest they’ve been to winning freedom from prison since their convictions almost 30 years ago for murdering their parents.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
They became eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge in May reduced their sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible under California law because they were under the ages of 26 when they committed their crimes.
But even if the board grants their parole, it could be months before the brothers walk free — if at all.
A panel of parole hearing officers will evaluate the brothers individually. Erik Menendez will have his hearing Thursday morning, followed by Lyle Menendez on Friday. They will appear over videoconference from prison in San Diego.
The board will assess whether the brothers pose an “unreasonable risk of danger to society” if released, considering factors such as criminal history, motivation for the crime, signs of remorse, behavior while in prison and plans for the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
If the board grants each brother’s parole, the chief legal counsel has 120 days to review the case. Then Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. Newsom had previously ordered the state parole board to conduct a risk assessment of the brothers in response to a clemency request. He hasn’t said if he’s likely to support parole, but he has denied recommendations in high-profile cases in the past — most notably for Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
Erik and Lyle Menendez have the support of their relatives, who are expected to deliver statements at their hearings.
“For more than 35 years, they have shown sustained growth,” their family said in a statement. “They’ve taken full accountability. They express sincere remorse to our family to this day and have built a meaningful life defined by purpose and service.”
The case has captured the attention of true crime enthusiasts for decades and spawned documentaries, television specials and dramatizations. The Netflix drama ” Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ” and a documentary released in 2024 have been credited for bringing new attention to the brothers. A greater recognition of the brothers as victims of sexual abuse has also helped amass a legion of supporters who seek their release. Some have flown to Los Angeles to hold rallies and attend court hearings.
The previous LA County district attorney first opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. The judge’s decision to ultimately resentence the brothers followed months of pushback from current prosecutors.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said ahead of the parole hearings that he opposes parole for the brothers because they have “not demonstrated full insight into their crimes,” comparing them to Sirhan. Newsom denied him parole in January 2022 because of his “deficient insight.”
Insight means taking full responsibility for a crime and understanding the factors that led you to commit the crime, such as anger, inability to handle stress, and substance abuse, said Michael Beckman, a lawyer specialized in parole hearings.
Erik and Lyle’s college degrees, participation in volunteer programs and support groups, and the fact that Lyle has not been in a single fight in prison are all positive factors for their release, he said.
But recent rules violations could have major consequences for the brothers. In May, Hochman revealed details from a confidential risk assessment report that said Lyle was cited for having a cellphone several times in 2024, and Erik was found with a cellphone this January.
“The board is really big on the philosophy that if you can’t follow the rules in prison, you can’t follow the rules in free society,” Beckman said. “Add to that that cellphones are one of the three big bad rules violations along with violence and substance abuse.”
Ultimately, Beckman noted that parole decisions come down to individual commissioners, who might weigh the brothers’ cases based on factors like their celebrity status or family members’ support.
The state corrections department has selected one media representative to view the proceedings virtually and share notes with the rest of the press at set intervals.
Menendez brothers face parole hearings after decades in prison for parents’ 1989 murders
https://arab.news/8nf29
Menendez brothers face parole hearings after decades in prison for parents’ 1989 murders
- The California state parole board will determine whether they should be released nearly 30 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents
- Erik Menendez will have his hearing Thursday morning, followed by Lyle Menendez on Friday
Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of pharaoh in Luxor
- Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt
LUXOR: Egypt on Sunday revealed the revamp of two colossal statues of a prominent pharaoh in the southern city of Luxor, the latest in the government’s archeological events that aim at drawing more tourists to the country.
The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a renovation project that lasted about two decades. They represent Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago.
“Today we are celebrating, actually, the finishing and the erecting of these two colossal statues,” Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said ahead of the ceremony.
Ismail said the colossi are of great significance to Luxor, a city known for its ancient temples and other antiquities. They’re also an attempt to “revive how this funerary temple of King Amenhotep III looked like a long time ago,” Ismail said.
Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt. The pharaoh, whose mummy is showcased at a Cairo museum, ruled between 1390–1353 BC, a peaceful period known for its prosperity and great construction, including his mortuary temple, where the Colossi of Memnon are located, and another temple, Soleb, in Nubia.
The colossi were toppled by a strong earthquake in about 1200 BC that also destroyed Amenhotep III’s funerary temple, said Ismail.
They were fragmented and partly quarried away, with their pedestals dispersed. Some of their blocks were reused in the Karnak temple, but archeologists brought them back to rebuild the colossi, according to the Antiquities Ministry.
In late 1990s, an Egyptian German mission, chaired by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, began working in the temple area, including the assembly and renovation of the colossi.
“This project has in mind … to save the last remains of a once-prestigious temple,” she said.
The statues show Amenhotep III seated with hands resting on his thighs, with their faces looking eastward toward the Nile and the rising sun. They wear the nemes headdress surmounted by the double crowns and the pleated royal kilt, which symbolizes the pharaoh’s rule.
Two other small statues on the pharaoh’s feet depict his wife, Tiye.
The colossi — 14.5 meters and 13.6 meters respectively — preside over the entrance of the king’s temple on the western bank of the Nile. The 35-hectare complex is believed to be the largest and richest temple in Egypt and is usually compared to the temple of Karnak, also in Luxor.
The colossi were hewn in Egyptian alabaster from the quarries of Hatnub, in Middle Egypt. They were fixed on large pedestals with inscriptions showing the name of the temple, as well as the quarry.
Unlike other monumental sculptures of ancient Egypt, the colossi were partly compiled with pieces sculpted separately, which were fixed into each statue’s main monolithic alabaster core, the ministry said.
Sunday’s unveiling in Luxor came just six weeks after the inauguration of the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, the centerpiece of the government’s bid to boost the country’s tourism industry. The mega project is located near the famed Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.
In recent years, the sector has started to recover after the coronavirus pandemic and amid Russia’s war on Ukraine — both countries are major sources of tourists visiting Egypt.
“This site is going to be a point of interest for years to come,” said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy, who attended the unveiling ceremony. “There are always new things happening in Luxor.”
A record number of about 15.7 million tourists visited Egypt in 2024, contributing about 8 percent of the country’s GDP, according to official figures.
Fathy, the minister, has said about 18 million tourists are expected to visit the country this year, with authorities hoping for 30 million visitors annually by 2032.
