The Menendez Brothers Were Kept Apart for Over 20 Years — Are They Still in Separate Prisons?

It's been more than 30 years since Erik and Lyle Menendez were first accused of killing their parents, whom they claimed were abusive, in their Beverly Hills home. Their story has been told in documentaries, podcasts, fictionalized series, and several books. In each of them one thing has always been made clear: Erik and Lyle were incredibly close.

After their separate trials each ended in a hung jury, the Menendez brothers were tried together. In March 1996, the brothers were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were subsequently sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Are the Menendez brothers in the same prison? Here's what we know.

The Menendez brothers have been in the same prison since 2018. It was in February of that year that Lyle Menendez was transferred from Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. The brothers are also living in the same housing unit in the prison.

In a post on the Facebook page belonging to both brothers that was attributed to Lyle, they announced that they would be reuniting for the first time in 22 years. "We have been working for the past six years to get the Corrections Department to place us together," the post explained. "I have requested to be transferred to San Diego to be with Erik. It has been a long torturous ordeal but never did I feel hopeless.

"I am very grateful to announce that on Monday the request was finally granted. Erik and I will be reunited in the very near future," the post continued.

Terry Thornton, deputy press secretary at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, explained that at a classification hearing for Lyle, it was determined there was no reason the brothers could not reunite.

"They can and do interact with each other, all the inmates in that facility,” Thornton said.

In the post announcing that he would be transferred, Lyle also expressed gratitude for the support he'd received from those who followed his journey.

"I would like to thank the huge number of people across the country who felt strongly that my brother and I should be together and took the time to pray for that result and wish us well," Lyle wrote.

Both brothers are classified as "Level 2" or "medium-custody" inmates, and both are serving without the chance of parole. Thornton also explained that it's possible for an inmate's level to decrease in the prison through good behavior and rehabilitation programs.

"There are a lot of case factors that go into deciding where an inmate is to be housed," Thornton explained at the time. "Any kind of family issues, any programs the offender might be eligible for, what the offender needs in terms of educational programs — all of these factors, as well as others, are taken into consideration."

As of September 2024, Erik and Lyle are still incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. Erik has been married to Tammi Menendez since June 1999. The two "met" after she spontaneously wrote him a letter while he was incarcerated at Folsom State Prison. She had a daughter from a previous relationship who was a toddler at the time of their wedding. Talia Menendez thinks of Erik as her father and is very supportive and protective of him.

Lyle has been married twice and has used his time to help advocate for victims of sexual abuse, per People. He told the outlet in 2017 that he would always feel guilty about killing his parents. "It will always be part of you. But it doesn’t have to define you," he explained.

Investigative journalist Robert Rand covered the Menendez brothers' trial for the Miami Herald. Since then, he has devoted much of his career to their story and believes they were abused by their father. In his book The Menendez Murders, Rand explains how he stumbled upon a piece of evidence that could get Erik and Lyle a new trial. It's a letter written by Erik to his cousin nine months before his parents were killed and references Jose's abuse. It's possible, however slight, that they could be released.