The California Board of Parole argued that the 57-year-old would "pose an unreasonable risk to public safety" if he were released. Commissioner Robert Barton said the main reason for this decision was not the severity of his parents' murders but his misbehavior in prison. Barton described Erik's repeated unauthorized use of cell phones as "selfish" and a sign that he doesn't believe that rules apply to him. The parole board brought up other violations, including an alleged prison-gang "tax scam" that Erik was connected to around 2013 and past physical altercations with other inmates in 1997 and 2011.