Will the Menendez brothers be released from prison? District Attorney supports resentencing

After more than three decades behind bars, Lyle and Erik Menendez may soon be free.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday that he is recommending resentencing of the brothers, who served more than 34 years in prison in a 1989 case. murders his parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

A jury convicted Lyle and Erik Menendez of murder in 1996 after a highly publicized first trial ended in a hung jury. Each was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

There was renewed interest in the case this year after it was adapted into the Netflix series “Monster.” Earlier this month, Netflix released a documentary called The Menendez Brothers, which features interviews with Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Here’s what could happen next in the case.

What decision did the Los Angeles District Attorney make in the Menendez case?

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday that he will file a recommendation for resentencing for Lyle and Erik Menendez, asking the court to reconsider the possibility of parole.

If parole is granted, the brothers would be immediately eligible for parole under California law, Gascón said.

“I believe they have paid their debt to society,” he said at a news conference.

The district prosecutor’s office reported this. be considered new evidence in the case and met with family members who said the brothers faced abuse from their father, music executive Jose Menendez.

The brothers’ lawyers said the judge at the second trial excluded evidence of violence.

Gascón acknowledged that the brothers had committed “horrible things” but said he believed they were “subject to enormous domestic abuse and molestation.”

What’s next in the Menendez case?

George Gascón, the Los Angeles County district attorney, said he will file a recommendation to the court Friday to resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez.

He said he would recommend that the possibility of parole be included in the new sentence.

Once Gascón makes his recommendation, a court hearing on the matter could take place within 30 to 45 days, after which a Los Angeles Superior Court judge will ultimately decide whether the brothers will be resentenced.

Who are Lyle and Erik Menendez?

Lyle and Erik Menendez are brothers who were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989.

At the time of the murder, Lyle Menendez was 21 years old and Erik Menendez was 18 years old.

Their lawyers argued that the brothers killed their parents in self-defense. The defense argued that the brothers believed their parents would kill them to prevent them from speaking publicly about their years of abuse.

Prosecutors then denied allegations of abuse and said Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents to obtain an inheritance valued at more than $15 million.