The fate of Eric and Lyle Menendez is in the hands of prosecutors, who are scheduled to announce Thursday afternoon whether they recommend re-sentencing the brothers for the 1989 murder of their parents in Beverly Hills.
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has scheduled a press conference for 1:30 PM PT to discuss his office’s decision.
If prosecutors recommend reinstatement, they will need court approval.
Eric, now 53, and his brother Lyle, 56, were locked up in state prison after being convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Mary Louise (Kitty) Menendez, more than 35 years ago.
FILE – Eric and Lyle Menendez are seen during their trial.
Ted Sockey/Sigma via Getty Images
Last week, members of their extended family went to a Los Angeles courthouse and held a news conference to call for the brothers to be released from prison while prosecutors reviewed new evidence.
The new evidence includes a letter written by Eric Menendez, which his lawyers say confirms allegations that he was sexually abused by his father. The press conference was the largest gathering of the extended family since the brothers were sentenced.
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Brian A. said: Andersen Jr., Kitty Menendez’s nephew: “They tried to protect themselves the only way they knew how.” Instead of being seen as victims, they were slandered.”
He continued: “They no longer pose a threat to society.”
“I had no idea how much abuse they endured at the hands of my brother-in-law. None of us did,” said Joan Andersen Vandermeulen, Kitty Menendez’s sister. “We know that abuse has long-term effects, and that trauma victims sometimes act out.” In ways that are difficult to understand.”
Kitty Menendez’s sister Joan Andersen Vandermeulen, bottom left, and niece Karen Vandermelen, right, sit together during a news conference to announce developments in the case of brothers Eric and Lyle Menendez, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Damian Dovarganis/Associated Press
“The whole world was not prepared to hear that boys could be raped,” she said. “Today we know better.”
The brothers, who were 18 and 21 at the time of the murder, initially confirmed to police that they had stopped by their parents’ house on the night of the murder to retrieve Eric’s identity while they were on their way to a movie and found out. Their parents are dead.
Eventually, Eric confided in his therapist that he and his brother were responsible for the killings, and after the therapist shared the information with his wife, the confession eventually reached the police.
Lyle and Eric were eventually arrested for the murder and their trial began an era of high-profile televised criminal trials that captured the public imagination during the 1990s.
In this October 20, 1995 file photo, Lyle Menendez looks up during testimony at his brother Eric’s retrial for the shooting death of their parents in Los Angeles, California.
Steve Grayson/UPI via AP, Pool, File)
Despite defense arguments that Jose had sexually molested his sons for years and that they had killed their parents out of fear, they were found guilty of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors asserted at the time that there was no evidence of any harassment. They said the sons were after their parents’ multi-million dollar estate, but the brothers said they killed their parents in self-defense after being subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse throughout their lives.
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