Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Ryan wrote in his ruling that evidence in a petition by Erik and Lyle Menendez likely would not have swayed a jury.

Erik Menendez (pictured in 1993) along with his brother, Lyle, on Monday were denied a petition for a new trial for the killing of their parents after a judge determined a jury would not have been swayed by new evidence. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI UPI Lyle Menendez (pictured in 1993) along with his brother, Erik, on Monday were denied a petition for a new trial for the killing of their parents after a judge determined a jury would not have been swayed by new evidence. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI UPI

Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A judge in Los Angeles on Monday threw out a petition by the Menendez brothers seeking a new trial for the killing of their parents after the emergence of new evidence.

Superior Court Judge William Ryan wrote in his ruling that the new evidence would not have changed the outcome of the 1996 trial that resulted in life sentences for the brothers, CBS affiliate KCAL-TV reported Tuesday. The ruling comes nearly a month after a state panel denied parole for Erik and Lyle Menendez, giving the brothers fewer paths to leaving prison.

The brothers have spent over three decades in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez. Lyle Menendez was 18 and Erik 21 at the time and argued that they killed their parents in an act of self-defense after years of sexual, emotional and physical abuse from their father. Interest in the brother's ordeal has remained present in popular culture and has been the subject of documentaries.

The Menendez brother's 2023 petition cited a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders describing abuse by his father. It also included an allegation from a former member of a boy band that he was raped by Jose Menendez.

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Ryan wrote in his ruling that the new evidence was weak and did not reveal new information about the brother's state of mind at the time of the murders, according to ABC News.

"Neither piece of evidence adds to the allegations of abuse that the jury already considered, yet found that the brothers planned, then executed that plan, to kill their abusive father and complicit mother," Ryan wrote.

Prosecutors have argued that the Menendez brothers killed their parents for a $15 million inheritance.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman earlier called the petition a "Hail Mary" attempt at a new trial after their appeals were rejected by multiple appellate and federal courts.

In May, a judge resentenced the brothers to 50 years to life in prison, making them eligible for parole. The brothers will be eligible for parole again in three years and have also applied for a pardon from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.Menendez brothers denied new trial in latest setback