Prosecutors are set to announce on Thursday whether they will recommend resentencing Erik and Lyle Menendez for the 1989 killings of their parents in Beverly Hills. The brothers were originally sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has scheduled a news conference at 1:30 p.m. to discuss his office’s decision.
If prosecutors do recommend resentencing, court approval would be required. Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez. The brothers claimed they believed their parents were planning to kill them to prevent the exposure of Jose Menendez's years of sexual abuse towards Erik Menendez.
The brothers' extended family has been advocating for their release, arguing that after decades in prison, they deserve freedom. Family members have suggested that in today's society, with a greater awareness of the impact of sexual abuse, the brothers might not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Menendez brothers faced two trials for their parents' murders, with the first trial resulting in a hung jury. Prosecutors during that time argued that there was no evidence of molestation, and many details of the alleged sexual abuse were excluded from the second trial. The district attorney's office also maintained that the brothers were motivated by their desire to inherit their parents' multimillion-dollar estate.
