Erik Menendez is seeking to be released from prison as he receives treatment for a serious medical condition ahead of his parole hearing next month, his attorney said this week.
Attorney Mark Geragos declined to share the specifics of the 54-year-old’s condition in an interview with TMZ. But sources familiar with Erik’s treatment told The Times he’s suffering from severe kidney stones and complications arising from the condition and needs extensive medical treatment.
Geragos did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment from The Times on Tuesday.
Geragos told TMZ he will ask Gov. Gavin Newsom to release Erik immediately ahead of the brothers’ appearance before the parole board.
“It’s a serious condition and he needs, I think, to be out so he can focus on the hearing,” Geragos told TMZ, adding that he thinks releasing him early would be “the appropriate thing to do.”
Erik Menendez and his brother, Lyle, have spent more than 35 years prison for killings their parents in 1989 in a case that over the past year has gained renewed public attention following the release of Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and various documentaries.
The brothers were given a chance at freedom in May when an L.A. County judge granted a request to resentence them.
Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic’s decision to sentence the brothers to 50 years to life came after hours of testimony from family members who said the brothers had spent enough time behind bars for the brutal killings of their parents. The brothers had been serving life terms without the possibility of parole.
If the parole board recommends freeing the brothers in August, the decision will be sent to Newsom for consideration.
