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An state court official has rejected a request for a new for the Menendez siblings, stating that allegations of sexual abuse did not supersede their planning and intent when they killed their parents over 35 years ago.

Recent Decision and Judicial Background

The Monday decision by LA superior court Judge William C Ryan arrives just a short time after the siblings were refused parole and closes another potential route to liberty for the pair, who have been in nearly 30 years behind bars.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced in 1996 for fatally shooting their father, José Menendez, and mother, their mother, in their luxury mansion in 1989. They were young adults at the time.

While their lawyers contended the siblings acted in self-defense after years of abuse, the state claimed the duo murdered their family for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.

Early Release Hearings and Judge's Rationale

The judge wrote that recent proof that somewhat supports the abuse does not negate the fact that the brothers acted with premeditation and planning.

"This new information is not so convincing that it would have produced a uncertainty in the mind of at least one jury member," the judge wrote.

The brothers' attorney, a lawyer for the siblings, did not immediately respond on the ruling.

Latest Release Decisions

A panel of two commissioners on August 22 rejected Lyle Menendez release for a three-year period after a daylong session. The panel noted that the defendant still exhibited anti-social personality traits like dishonesty, downplaying, and rule-breaking.

The younger brother, who is held at the same facility in San Diego, was similarly denied parole a day before, after commissioners determined that his misbehavior in prison made him a danger to society.

Defendants' Accounts and Support

During his testimony, Erik Menendez provided his most comprehensive description in years of how he was brought up and why he made the choices he did.

"I didn't grow up with a moral foundation," he stated. "I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal in an abstract way."

In recent months, backing from public figures and greater recognition of the brothers as victims of abuse has contributed to amass a legion of advocates who have demanded their freedom.

The former Los Angeles district attorney first opened the way to possible freedom for the defendants by petitioning a judge to lessen their prison terms.

Since their sentencing, the inmates have obtained an education, taken part in self-help programs, and established various peer networks for other inmates.

Concluding Remarks

The judge's decision to ultimately deny the new trial petition came after a period of pushback from present prosecutors.