California releases audio recording from Menendez brothers' parole hearings

California prison officials released the audio recordings from Erik and Lyle Menendez's parole hearings.

In August, the state officials denied the Menendez brothers' first attempt at parole but appeared to grant leniency to the pair by imposing the minimum three-year denial. State law requires the parole board to schedule another hearing three, five, seven, 10 or 15 years in the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Much of the proceedings focused on the pair's prison record. During Erik's hearing, the panel of state officials cited his "behavior in prison" as the primary reason for their rejection. They said his violations would have sometimes led to five-year denials rather than the three-year denial they decided upon.

When the parole panel confronted Erik about his behavior, he admitted to escalating problems by fighting in prison. 

"It was a time in my incarceration that I was being bullied a lot, and I needed to stand up for myself, in my eyes at that point," Erik said. "I look back on it now and it's ridiculous."

Erik was also questioned about his drug use, including alcohol, heroin and marijuana. 

"Marijuana, I began to use because of my Crohn's disease," Erik said. "But I used it because I was miserable. I was depressed."

Both brothers admitted to violating prison rules regarding computer usage and the use of cell phones. Lyle said he used them to talk to his wife and for his community work. 

"In my mind, I was using it for good things, and I was not using it for what I thought was criminality," Lyle said. "At the time, you don't think it's harming anyone."

Erik said he paid about $1,000 for each of his cell phones. He used them to talk to his wife, watch videos on Youtube and pornography.

"I didn't believe, and I didn't allow myself to believe, that I could ever get out of prison," he said. "I believed that I would die in prison."

The Menendez brothers were convicted in 1995 for the 1989 murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. In 1996, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

In May, a judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole under California's youth offender law because they were under the age of 26 when they committed their crimes. 

The brothers have maintained that they acted in self-defense after suffering years of alleged physical, sexual and emotional abuse from their parents. The Menendez brothers' appellate attorney, Mark Geragos, and several family members said they believe the brothers have changed after spending the last few decades in prison. 

On Monday, a Los Angeles Superior judge denied the Menendez brothers' petition for a new trial, closing one of their alternative avenues to freedom.