On Tuesday, the Lyle brothers and Eric Menendez replied to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The brothers spent 35 years in prison after being arrested in 1989 for killing their parents with a shotgun.
So what happened to the brothers, and will they be released?
What happened to Eric and Lyle Menendez?
On August 20, 1989, Lyle, 21, and Eric, 18, killed parents Josemenendez and Mary “Kitty” Louise by firing and killing multiple shotgun rounds at their Beverly Hills mansion. The brother was arrested in 1990.
The brother’s lawyer said Jose had been sexually abused for years, which forced them to murder, and Kitty made this behavior possible while emotionally abusing him. However, prosecutors argued that the intention behind the murder was malicious and that the sibling wanted to inherit their parents’ multi-million dollar property. Jose worked as a music and film executive and was also head of the successful record label RCA, which signed artists such as Duran Duran.
The judges were hung in the 1994 trial. In 1996, the brother was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
This case became the feed for references to American popular culture, including comedic dramas such as Gilmore Girls and 30 Rock. Last year, a new generation of Americans were featured in the incident. The story of the nine-part Netflix biopic called Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez, attempted to portray the circumstances that ranged from the perspectives of both parents and siblings to murder and to them. Another documentary about the case was also released a month after the Netflix show.
Their families, who are seeking release from the public, were excited by the Tiktok movement after the release of the show and documentary, along with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Rosie O’Donnell.
The brothers are currently in custody at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
Why did the Menendez brothers resent?
The brothers resented under California’s Youthful Criminal Act. This applies to people who commit crimes under the age of 26 and are eligible for parole as soon as they serve half their term.
Ententengeding was one of three possible paths to freedom that the brothers wanted. The other two ordered the parole board to assess whether the siblings pose a risk to society for the tolerance granted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. And the new trial, the option opposed by the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. The brothers’ lawyers detailed the new evidence in May 2023 and filed a motion seeking a new trial.
Judge Michael Jessick of Los Angeles Superior Court replied to the Menendez brothers. The decision came after a day’s hearing in which the family testified before the court in favor of the brother’s release.
Jessick said their crimes were “terrifying,” but he said it was “surprising” how the brothers rehabilitated themselves in prison. “It’s something I’ve never seen before,” Jessick said.
The brother’s first cousin, Anamaria Baralto, 54, told court Tuesday that the brother was “universally permissible” on both sides of the family. “They’re different men than the boys they did when they committed these crimes,” Barratt said.
Other families said the brothers should receive credit for their rehabilitation while in prison. They cited Lyle’s 2018 prison glorification project, Green Space, along with the role Eric played in providing hospice care to fellow inmates.
Lyle and Eric, now 57 and 54, spoke to the court on Tuesday through a video link from a San Diego prison and took responsibility for their actions. “My crimes weren’t just criminals. It was wrong. It was immoral. It was cruel and vicious,” Eric said. “Today, 35 years from now, I feel deeply embarrassed about who I am,” Lyle said.
However, prosecutor Habib Varian said he was not convinced by the family’s testimony, and the court argued that he was not convinced that the brothers would not commit another violent crime. “We… know they can do,” he said.
Has new evidence been revealed in the Menendez case?
In recent years, new evidence has emerged that defense lawyers have allegedly demonstrated the brothers’ claims to endure sexual abuse at the hands of Jose.
This includes a letter Eric wrote to his cousin, detailing his father’s sexual abuse at the age of 17.
Additionally, Roy Rossello, a boy band member in the 1980s, has publicly revealed that Jose sexually assaulted him in Peacock’s 2023 documentary series. The band of Rossello is called Menudo and the documentary series is called Menendez + Menudo: Boys Lutrayed.
The emergence of new evidence triggered the brothers to explore new paths to secure their release.
Can they be released?
The brothers were first sentenced to prison, but in 1996, their new sentence allows parole without the possibility of parole. This means that it can be released before the sentence is over.
Before they are released, they must argue for reasons why they should be released before the state’s parole board. The brothers remained in jail until then, and now it is up to the state’s parole board and California Governor Newsom.
Lyle and Eric will appear on June 13th before the parole committee of risk assessments, which Newsom ordered to help him decide on tolerance. If the board approves a release, Newsom must register with it.