Here's What Erik Menendez's Wife Says as He Stands Before Parole Board 36 Years After Parents' Murders By Liam Quinn 29

On the day her husband is set to appear at a parole hearing for the first time, Erik Menendez’s wife, Tammi, posted a message in support.

“Wishing my amazing husband all the love and strength for his parole hearing tomorrow,” Tammi Menendez posted on X. “I believe in you and can’t wait for this new chapter together. You’ve got this!”

Erik and his brother, Lyle Menendez, have been imprisoned for over three decades after they were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989 in their Beverly Hills, Calif. home.

The brothers, who were 18 and 21 at the time of the murders, do not dispute that they killed their parents. But they both claim that the killings were in response to years of sexual abuse they allege their father committed and that their mother knew about but did nothing to stop.

In recent years, calls for their freedom have grown and their path to release looks much clearer after a judge resentenced the brothers to 50 years to life in May, making them immediately eligible for parole because of their young ages at the time of the murders.

Erik is facing the parole board panel on Thursday, Aug. 21, and will be followed by Lyle the next day.

If the panel decides to grant the brothers parole, the decision would then go to the parole board’s legal team, which has 120 days to review. Final say would ultimately lie with California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Tammi and Erik began dating in 1996, when Erik was behind bars, after she learned that her husband had been sexually abusing their daughter. After turning himself into police, Tammi’s previous husband died by suicide.

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Tammi married Erik in 1999, just over a year after they met for the first time.

In 2005, Erik told PEOPLE his wife was a lifesaver.

“Tammi’s love was a major step in my choosing life,” Erik said. “Having someone who loves you unconditionally, who you can be completely open with, is good for anybody — to know that this person loves me as I am.”