Erik Menendez, one of the two brothers convicted in the 1989 killing of their parents in Southern California, has been hospitalized for a “serious medical condition.”
While details of the medical emergency were not disclosed, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed he is in “fair condition.”
The hospitalization comes weeks before Menendez and his brother, Lyle Menendez, 57, are set to face a parole board on Aug. 21 and 22.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has the final say on whether the two will be released, and he plans to make the decision by Labor Day.
Geragos cited previous cases in which furlough was granted, including inmates who were released during the coronavirus pandemic. He said it was the “only fair and equitable thing to do.”
In 1996, the brothers were convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home.
They were tried twice in the 1990s, after their first trial ended with a hung jury.
The brothers, who were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings, claim they acted out of self-defense following years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father that went ignored by their mother.
Prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
Just last week, Judge William Ryan ordered prosecutors to explain why their murder conviction shouldn’t be reexamined, in response to new evidence coming to light.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office now has 30 days to make its case that the brothers should not be considered for a reduced sentence, a new trial, or release.
