Erik and Lyle Menendez have been resentenced Tuesday to 50 years to life for the 1989 murders of their dad and mom, making them instantly eligible for parole. With a brand new sentence and their freedom probably on the horizon, what else lies within the brothers’ paths earlier than they may very well be launched from jail?
For years, true crime lovers have been captivated by the Menendez case, which noticed Erik and Lyle kill their father and mom, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. On the time, prosecutors argued that they murdered their dad and mom for financial profit, whereas the protection argued they have been appearing out of self-defense after years of abuse by the hands of José.
A model new wave of consideration on the case ignited in September with the discharge of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix collection Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, following the 2023 launch of a Peacock documentary the place a former Menudo boy band member, Roy Rosselló, alleged José sexually assaulted him. Netflix launched the accompanying doc The Menendez Brothers in October, lower than a month after Monsters, conserving the brothers’ case on streaming viewers’ radar.
Prosecutors started trying into new proof (Rosselló’s allegations and a letter penned by Erik Menendez that seemingly corroborated his father’s abuse) almost a month after Monsters’ debut, supported by then-Los Angeles District Lawyer George Gascón. Gascón, nevertheless, misplaced the November election, making Nathan Hochman the brand new D.A. And the L.A. wildfires additional delayed the Menendez hearings.
After a lot delay, the Menendez brothers’ sentencing listening to kicked off Tuesday and resulted in Choose Michael Jesic resentencing the siblings to 50 years to life, with the opportunity of parole. The brothers are instantly eligible for parole attributable to California’s youthful offender legislation, as they have been 21 and 18 years outdated on the time of the murders. Their preliminary sentence was life with no risk of parole, making certain they’d by no means go away jail.
Now, with a brand new sentence and parole on the desk, what’s subsequent for the Menendez brothers?
As a part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s clemency overview of the case, the brothers will seem in entrance of a parole board on June 13, serving as a bit of the chance evaluation examination that may support the governor’s clemency ruling, in line with the Associated Press. Nevertheless, it’s unclear if the June listening to will probably be their formal parole listening to, and if it’s not, a brand new date will probably be set inside six months, according to The Washington Post.
If the brothers are denied parole, they’ll proceed to seem at hearings in entrance of the board whereas they continue to be in jail. Additionally, in the event that they obtain parole, Newsom can nonetheless override the choice. Although Newsom ordering the chance evaluation probe was seen as a present of assist for the brothers from the term-limited governor.
Earlier than Jesic got here to his resolution, a number of witnesses vouched for the brothers, together with household, jail employees and former inmates. The choose, too, acquired letters from jail officers that influenced the resentencing. The brothers didn’t attend the listening to in-person however tuned in nearly the place they admitted and took accountability for the murders.
“On Aug. 20, 1989, I killed my mother and pop. I make no excuses and likewise no justification,” Lyle Menendez mentioned, by way of AP. “The influence of my violent actions on my household… is unfathomable.”
Throughout his time on the listening to, Erik Menendez thanked his household for his or her assist, stating, “You didn’t deserve what I did to you, however you encourage me to do higher.”
For now, no resolution on the destiny of the Menendez brothers may be sure till the brothers are seen earlier than a parole board. It’s unclear what their future holds, however Tuesday’s resentencing was an undeniably huge step towards the brothers’ potential freedom.