LA prosecutor to request Menendez brothers resentencing
Lyle and Erik Menendez were jailed for life in the 1990s over the grisly murder of their allegedly abusive parents – but a major development overnight could see them set free amid a Netflix storm.
The Los Angeles County district attorney said he would recommend the resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of killing their parents in a famed 1990s murder case and spotlighted in a recent Netflix hit.
District Attorney George Gascón said he would ask the court on Friday to consider resentencing the brothers, which could ultimately lead to their release.
“I believe they have paid their debt to society,” Gascón said at a press conference Thursday, adding that the brothers have already served decades in prison.
Gascón said he would recommend a sentencing for murder of 50 years to life with the possibility of parole. He noted that the brothers would be immediately eligible for parole given that the crimes were committed when they were under the age of 26.
The fate of the brothers, who are in their 50s, will now be decided by a judge, who could agree with the recommendation, keep the current sentence or shorten it.
The 1989 murder of Kitty and Jose Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion shocked the nation. It was a case tailor-made for attention: Two young, handsome brothers and a wealthy family apparently full of secrets. The brothers said they were the victims of repeated sexual abuse and argued the shooting was self-defense.
In the first trial, jurors were unable to agree. After the second, in which less time was devoted to the abuse claims, the brothers were both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.
The case had largely faded from the national consciousness until September, when TV hitmaker Ryan Murphy released Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix. The show prompted calls for a re-examination of the case from those who say the sexual-abuse allegations should have played a larger role in the brothers’ trial and sentencing.
Erik Menendez has criticised the show’s depiction of his case, which includes suggestions of incest between the brothers, as sensationalist and dishonest. Murphy said the brothers should be thanking him for the attention his show brought to their case.
The brothers participated in a Netflix documentary, The Menendez Brothers, which came out earlier this month and has also attracted scores of viewers.
Supporters of the Menendez brothers include reality TV star and criminal justice reform advocate Kim Kardashian. She said she has met with the brothers and they should be freed. “I don’t believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case,” she wrote in an essay this month.
Support for the brothers has given them the “audacity of hope,” another supporter, comedian Rosie O’Donnell, said this month.
Murphy, who rose to prominence with shows such as Glee, has taken a darker turn in recent years, spearheading depictions of the OJ Simpson trial and the murder of Gianni Versace. His Monster series includes a season on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and will next depict Ed Gein, who was said to be the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
The Wall Street Journal
