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Erik Menendez, who was convicted of killing his parents along with his brother in 1989, was denied parole on Tuesday after more than 30 years in prison. A California parole board decided that Erik, now 54, still poses “an unreasonable risk to public safety.”

In the nearly 10-hour-long hearing, the panel heard about Erik’s rehabilitation, prison conduct, and the case for and against his release. Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office asked the board to deny his parole request, while over a dozen family members spoke in favor. The board ultimately agreed with the prosecutors, noting that Erik’s teenage crime record, the heinous nature of the crime, and “serious violations” in prison were all reasons to continue his incarceration.

Erik, who is now in his 50s, will be eligible for parole in three years. Parole Commissioner Robert Barton, who read the decision to Erik, said the board based the decision “not just on the nature of the original crime but also his prison conduct.”

“You can create a danger to public safety in many ways and in many types of criminal conduct, including the ones that you were guilty of in prison,” Barton told Erik. He added that Erik should “rely much more heavily” on his “great support network” to avoid further prison violations.

Erik’s prison record includes nine violations of prison rules since his incarceration, some for drug possession and others for having contraband, like a cell phone and a lighter, in his cell. Although several prison officials have submitted letters on Erik’s behalf, calling him a “model inmate,” Barton said it was not clear that Erik’s record as a prisoner lived up to that label. Erik said that he had not believed that release was even possible until last year, and that his “consequential thinking” changed as a result.

Family members, many in tears, gave testimony on Erik’s behalf. Several described the pain and division the murders have caused for the family over the last three decades, but also spoke about forgiveness. “To say that our family has experienced pain does not quite capture what the last 35 years have been like,” said Tiffani Lucero-Pastor, the great-niece of the Menendez brothers’ mother, Kitty. “It has divided us. It has caused us panic and anxiety.”

Others mentioned that Kitty’s failure to stop the alleged abuse in the home may have made the brothers even more afraid. Karen Mae Vandermolen-Copley, Kitty’s niece, said her aunt’s “absence of protection deepened their fear and confusion.” The only family member known to oppose parole was Kitty’s brother, Milton Andersen, who died earlier this year.

In a statement to The Associated Press after the decision, the family expressed disappointment but said they respect the parole board’s decision and will continue supporting Erik. “Our belief in Erik remains unwavering,” it said. “His remorse, growth, and the positive impact he’s had on others speak for themselves. We will continue to stand by him and hold to the hope he can return home soon.”

Lyle Menendez to Face Parole Hearing, Governor Holds Final Say

While Erik was denied parole, his brother, Lyle Menendez, will soon face the parole board. His hearing is scheduled for next Friday, when the board will weigh his rehabilitation record and prison conduct. Lyle, who is now 56, has had slightly fewer disciplinary violations than Erik, but his actions in the killings may count heavily against him.

In the 1993 trial, Lyle said that he shot their mother multiple times in the head at point-blank range and that Erik had joined him in the killings. Lyle also testified at the trial that he was not remorseful for the killings. Barton said in the decision this week that Lyle’s actions and his mother’s death were “devoid of human compassion.”

Lyle also came under criticism for inconsistencies in the alleged abuse at the hands of their father. At one point, prosecutors said, he even asked his girlfriend to lie and say his father drugged and raped her. These factors may make it harder for him to earn his freedom despite many family members speaking on his behalf.

The parole hearings come after both brothers were resentenced in May to 50 years to life in prison from life without the possibility of parole, making them eligible for parole for the first time. The case has been one of the most high-profile murder trials in California history, and it has been driven in part by the brothers’ claims that they killed their parents out of fear after years of abuse. Prosecutors, though, have argued that the motive for the killings was money, pointing to their father’s fortune.

Governor Gavin Newsom has the ultimate decision on the brothers’ fate. A 1988 state law gives the governor the power to approve, deny, or modify the parole board’s decisions for people convicted of murder and sentenced to an indeterminate term. The parole decision will be reviewed internally for up to 120 days. The governor then has 30 days to make a decision.

Legal experts say that California governors have historically been reluctant to release well-known prisoners. “Every governor is fairly allergic to releasing high-profile defendants,” said Christopher Hawthorne, a Loyola Law School professor. While former governors Pete Wilson, Gray Davis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were “practically never going to let people out on parole” in high-profile cases, former Gov. Jerry Brown and current Gov. Gavin Newsom have changed that trend in the last decade and made parole more accessible.

But the Menendez brothers’ fame may make it harder for them to be released. As Hawthorne said, Newsom will have to consider both public safety and whether the brothers have shown true insight into their crimes.

For now, Erik will remain in prison with his next opportunity for parole at least three years away. Lyle will soon learn if his fate takes a different path, or if both brothers will continue to serve the life sentences they began over 30 years ago.