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Erik Menendez, who has spent over three decades in prison for the 1989 murders of his parents, was denied parole by a California board this week. The board ruled that Erik, who was convicted with his brother Lyle, continues to present “an unreasonable risk to public safety.”

The nearly 10-hour hearing on Wednesday took into account Erik’s rehabilitation and conduct in prison as well as the reasons to grant and deny his release. Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office asked the board to deny parole, and more than a dozen family members spoke in his defense. At the end of the day, the board sided with the prosecutors, citing Erik’s teenage criminal record, the “horrific nature of the crime,” and “serious violations” in prison.

Erik, now in his 50s, will have another opportunity to apply for parole in three years. Parole Commissioner Robert Barton, who read the decision on Wednesday, explained that the decision did not rest on the original murders but was “also heavily based on your performance while in prison.”

“You can endanger public safety in some ways, through various types of criminal activity, including the types of criminal activity in which you were found guilty in prison,” Barton told Erik. He encouraged him to take more advantage of his “great support network” to keep from reoffending.

Erik has nine rule violations on his record since he arrived at prison, including one for possession of drugs and another for “possession of contraband” that included a cell phone and lighter. Several correctional employees have written letters to the parole board on Erik’s behalf, describing him as a “model inmate,” according to reporting from the Associated Press. But Barton asked during the hearing whether the description fit Erik, given his record of violations. Erik said that he didn’t think he would ever be up for parole until last year, and that his “consequential thinking” changed at that time.

Some relatives, several in tears, also spoke on Erik’s behalf. They spoke of how the brothers’ murders have brought three decades of pain and division to the family, but also discussed the ability to forgive. “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 Menendezes’ mother, Kitty. “It has divided us. It has caused us panic and anxiety.”

Others raised questions about Kitty’s inability or unwillingness to intervene in the abuse at the center of the brothers’ original case. Karen Mae Vandermolen-Copley, Kitty’s niece, said that the mother’s “absence of protection deepened their fear and confusion.” The only family member believed to be against Erik’s parole was Kitty’s brother, Milton Andersen, who died earlier this year.

In a statement after the ruling, the family said it was “disappointed but accepts and respects the decision of the board.” “Our belief in Erik remains unwavering,” the statement read. “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 that he is able to return home soon.

Lyle Menendez to Face Parole Hearing, Governor Holds Final Say

Erik was not the only Menendez brother up for parole this week. His older brother, Lyle, will appear before the parole board on Friday. His hearing will also consider his record of rehabilitation and prison conduct.

Lyle has had slightly fewer disciplinary violations in prison than Erik, but his role in the murders could carry extra weight in the board’s consideration. He testified in his 1993 trial that he fired multiple shotgun blasts at both his parents at close range. As Barton said during Erik’s hearing, the manner of his mother’s death was “devoid of human compassion.”

He has also been criticized for inconsistent stories about their father’s alleged abuse. At one point, prosecutors said, he even had his girlfriend lie and claim their father had drugged and raped her. Those questions could cloud his bid for parole, but many of the same family members are expected to speak on his behalf, as well.

The parole hearings come after both brothers were resentenced in May from life without parole to 50 years to life, allowing them to seek parole for the first time. Their case is one of the most famous murder trials in California history, made even more high-profile by their defense that they killed their parents out of fear after years of abuse. Prosecutors have countered that their financial motive was behind the crime, pointing to their father’s fortune.

The final decision will be made by Governor Gavin Newsom, who has the power to reverse, modify, or uphold the parole board’s decision. Under a 1988 state law, governors can change the parole board’s decisions for anyone convicted of murder and sentenced to an indeterminate term. The board’s decision will be internally reviewed for up to 120 days, and Newsom has 30 days after that to decide.