Erik and Lyle Menendez are scheduled to appear before California’s Board of Parole Hearings on Thursday and Friday, respectively, in their first bid for freedom since their 1996 convictions for murdering their parents in Beverly Hills. Erik, now 54, will testify via video from Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility on 21 August; his brother Lyle, 57, follows the next day. The brothers became eligible for parole in May when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic resentenced them from life without parole to 50 years to life. The ruling cited their youth at the time of the 1989 crimes—18 and 21—and letters from correctional staff describing decades of good conduct, college coursework and inmate-support projects. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is urging the board to deny release, arguing the men have “never fully accepted responsibility” and still pose a public-safety risk. Supporters, including several relatives, say the pair have shown remorse and rehabilitation, and point to their courtroom admissions of guilt at resentencing. If the two- or three-member panels find either brother suitable, the decision undergoes a legal review of up to 120 days before reaching Governor Gavin Newsom. The governor then has 30 days to uphold, reverse or modify any grant of parole. A denial would delay the next hearing by at least three years, while approval could allow the brothers to leave prison early next year.