The Menendez Brothers Could Be One Step Closer to Release
ByEmily Leibert,
a staff writer for the Cut.She specializes in coverage at the intersection of gender and sports, the arts, and our relationship to our bodies.
Photo: Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving a life sentence without parole after they were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996, may be one step closer to being released from prison. On Thursday, per the Associated Press, Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón announced that his office would recommend resentencing. In the now-infamous 1989 case, the brothers confessed to shooting and killing their parents, entertainment executive José Menendez and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. Lyle and Erik, 21 and 18 at the time of the crimes, testified that their father had sexually abused Erik for years and believed their parents were going to kill them to prevent the brothers from going public with their accusations. Gascón noted that because the brothers were under age 26 at the time of the crimes, they would be eligible for immediate parole if resentencing is approved.
“I believe that they have paid their debt to society,” Gascón said. He reiterated that the brothers committed the murders, but that the allegations of sexual abuse would have been more seriously taken into consideration had the trial taken place today.
Per Entertainment Weekly, Gascón acknowledged that the 1989 case has received “a tremendous amount of public attention” following the release of Netflix’s Ryan Murphy–directed true-crime series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the documentary The Menendez Brothers. Kim Kardashian has also brought attention to the case, repeatedly calling for the brothers’ release and pointing to shifting societal attitudes around child sexual abuse. On Thursday, Kardashian posted a statement to her Instagram Story, thanking Gascón for his decision.
“Thank you, George Gascón, for revisiting the Menendez brothers’ case and righting a significant wrong,” she wrote. “To the brothers’ family, friends, and the millions who have been vocal supporters — your voices were heard. The media’s focus, especially on the heels of Ryan Murphy’s TV show, helped expose the abuse and injustices in their case.”
According to the AP, a judge will now have to approve the resentencing, and a hearing is expected within the next month. The state parole board is also required to sign off on the brothers’ pending release from prison.
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