A lawyer for Erik Menendez is calling for the 57-year-old to be released from prison because of a “serious medical condition”.Menendez and his brother, Lyle Menendez, have been serving life sentences without parole after being convicted of murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.
The siblings were thrust back into the spotlight in September last year when Netflix released both a documentary and a miniseries on the case.A judge resentenced the brothers to 50 years to life in May – making them immediately eligible for parole. They are scheduled to appear in front of a California parole board on 21 and 22 August.Erik Menendez was taken to a medical facility on Friday and remained there on Tuesday “in fair condition”, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed.
Menendez’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, told US website TMZ his client had a “serious medical condition” and should be given prison furlough, which essentially amounts to authorised leave.
Image:
Erik Menendez, left, and his brother Lyle in undated booking photos. Pic: California Department of Corrections via AP
He did not provide further details on the condition but said releasing Menendez was the “only fair and equitable thing to do” so he has time to properly prepare for his parole hearing.California governor Gavin Newsom’s office and a representative for the family declined to comment when contacted by news agency Associated Press.Read more:The wild life of Ozzy OsbourneTrump administration releases MLK Jr files
In August 1989, the siblings shot their mother and father, Kitty and Jose Menendez, multiple times at close range. They were aged 18 and 21 at the time.They admitted the shootings but maintain they killed their parents in self-defence after enduring years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.A number of the brothers’ extended family members united to call for their release the month after the Netflix projects debuted.
