Kim Kardashian has said Erik and Lyle Menendez have been “granted a second chance at life” after Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón called for them to be resentenced.
The Menendez brothers, who are serving life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty, have been back in the public eye following the release of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
In a statement posted to her Instagram Stories, Kardashian, 44, said: “The Menendez brothers were granted a second chance at life and will wake up tomorrow finally eligible for a parole hearing. They could be released in as early as six months.
“Thank you, George Gascón, for revisiting the Menendez brothers’ case and righting a significant wrong. Your commitment to truth and fairness is commendable.
“To the brothers’ family, friends, and the millions who have been vocal supporters – your voices were heard. The media’s foucs, especially on the heels of Ryan Murphy’s TV show, helped expose the abuse and injustices in their case.
“Society’s understanding of child abuse has evolved, and social media empowers us to question the systems in place. This case highlights the importance on challenging decisions and seeking truth, even when guilt is not in question.
“I believe in the justice system’s ability to evolve, and I am grateful for a society where we can challenge decisions and seek justice,” she wrote, concluding her statement: “Never stop questioning.”
In a follow-up post, Kardashian added: “Erik and Lyle are immediately eligible for parole now that their sentence has been reduced to 50 years to life. In 2015, a bill was passed in California allowing individuals sentenced to life in prison before the age of 25 to seek parole after serving 25 years. Since Erik and Lyle have been in prison for 35 years, they qualify as ‘youthful offenders’ and are immediately eligible for parole.”
Some details in the follow-up post are inaccurate. While Gascón has recommended resentencing the brothers, their sentence will not actually be reduced until that recommendation has been approved by a judge, and the state parole board would have to sign off on the brothers’ release.
Prosecutors filed the petition last Thursday and a hearing before a judge could come within the next month or so.
One of the brothers’ defense attorneys, Mark Geragos, is hopeful the brothers will be home for the holidays. They are now 53 and 56 years old.
“I believe before Thanksgiving, they will be home,” Geragos said.
Earlier this month, Kardashian wrote an essay calling for the brothers to be released.
“We are all products of our experiences,” Kardashian wrote at the time. “They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I’m not!”
Monsters stars Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as José and Kitty, with Cooper Koch and Nicholas Chavez as Eric and Lyle. Since the series arrived on Netflix in September, viewers have been cautioning others on social media about the graphic nature of the violence depicted in the show.
The nine-episode series also depicts the sexual abuse that Lyle and Erik alleged to have been perpetrated by their father. However, Erik has claimed Murphy’s series does not accurately portray their crime, and accused the creator of releasing “disheartening slander.”
Murphy later defended the Netflix series, telling Entertainment Tonight: “I think it’s interesting that he’s issued a statement without having seen the show. I know he hasn’t seen the show in prison. I hope he does see the show.”
He added that “if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65 percent” of the scripted narrative centers “around the abuse and what they claim happened to them. And we do it very carefully and we give them their day in court and they talk openly about it.”
“We present the facts from their point of view,” the Glee creator said. “We spent three years researching it – all of that is true.”
The article was updated on October 28 to clarify that the resentencing of the Menendez brothers must still be approved by a judge.
