Erik Menendez Returns to Prison After Being Hospitalized and Undergoing Surgery for Kidney Stones

Erik Menendez has returned to prison after being temporarily transferred to a California hospital to receive treatment for kidney stones.

In an Instagram Stories post shared on Saturday, Aug. 2, Erik’s stepdaughter, Talia, shared that the 54-year-old was out of the hospital after undergoing surgery, per TMZ.

“My dad is out of the hospital and back at the prison, preparing for our upcoming parole hearing,” wrote Talia, who is the daughter of Tammi Saccoman, the woman who married Erik while he was in prison in San Diego.

ABC News previously reported that Erik had been transported from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego to a local hospital to treat a medical condition. Talia later revealed on social media that he was experiencing “complications with both kidneys having multiple large stones.”

Erik and brother Lyle Menendez’s attorney Mark Geragos told TMZ on July 22 that Erik was in the hospital for about a week, adding that it was a “serious medical condition.”

Geragos also told the outlet that Erik should be released from prison immediately after news of his condition emerged.

“Medical privacy laws restrict us from providing details,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in an email to PEOPLE at the time.

The diagnosis came about a month ahead of a parole board hearing for Erik and 57-year-old Lyle — who were both convicted in the infamous 1989 murders of their parents — on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

The brothers were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison on May 13, making them eligible for parole.

Erik and Lyle were both incarcerated after killing their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, on Aug. 20, 1989, while they were sitting on the couch in the TV room of their $5 million Beverly Hills mansion. 

Erik, then 18, and Lyle, then 21, claimed that the murders came after their father — the chief operating officer of RCA Records — sexually abused them for years and their mother, a former pageant queen, ignored the abuse. They have maintained that they feared for their lives and that José had threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the alleged sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said the two brothers’ motive was greed and cited their lavish spending spree after the murders.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom could potentially seek to grant the brothers clemency and make his decision at any time, though he has said he will wait until after their final parole board hearing to decide.

The politician previously requested that the parole board conduct a comprehensive risk assessment investigation into whether the brothers could pose a risk to public safety should they be released.

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“The Governor has ordered the Parole Board to conduct a Comprehensive Risk Assessment of both Erik and Lyle Menendez,” attorneys Geragos and Cliff Gardner wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE in February.

“Along with scores of Jose and Kitty Menendez’s family members who have fought for years to see Erik and Lyle have a chance to finally come home, we are grateful for the Governor’s decision,” the statement added. 

“The family realizes that the Governor’s action does not mean he will commute the sentences. Instead, this initial step reflects the Governor’s considered decision to at least obtain the information required to make a fair decision as to whether Erik and Lyle, after 35 years in prison, have done the hard work necessary to have a chance at a life outside prison. Jose and Kitty’s family members, as well as Erik and Lyle, can ask for nothing more,” the attorneys continued.

The Menendez brothers made a virtual video appearance at their hearing in May and took “full responsibility” for the murders, Fox News reported at the time.