Erik and Lyle Menéndez have been resentenced in the latest hearing for their decades-long murder case.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic ruled on Tuesday, May 13, that the brothers would be resentenced to 50 years to life, a prison term that makes them immediately eligible for parole.
Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, were accused of murdering their parents, José and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills, California, home in 1989 when the brothers were 18 and 21, respectively. After their 1990 arrests, they were ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.
During Tuesday’s ruling, the judge said that he does not believe the brothers pose an “unreasonable risk” if released, per NBC News.
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While the new ruling does not automatically mean Erik and Lyle will be released from prison, the duo will now have the opportunity to appear before a parole board which will recommend whether they should be available for parole, per Deadline. That recommendation would then be transferred to to Governor Gavin Newsom, who could reject their release.
Both Erik and Lyle gave statements following their resentencing on Tuesday. “Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was,” Lyle told the court, per NBC News, admitting that he made a “mockery of the legal system” after his arrest by seeking to have people perjure themselves on his behalf.
Following the release of Netflix’s 2024 limited series Monsters and subsequent documentary The Menéndez Brothers, Erik and Lyle’s story reentered the spotlight, spurring calls for their release given new evidence indicating that José allegedly molested his sons. The siblings’ post-conviction attorney Mark Geragos had already filed an appeal in 2023, requesting a retrial after former Menudo member Roy Rosselló alleged José molested him. Geragos also cited a newly discovered letter from Erik to his cousin Andy Cano, in which he described his father’s alleged sexual abuse months before the double murder.
Timeline of Erik, Lyle Menendez’s Murder Case: From Arrest to Resentencing
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón requested in October that the brothers’ sentences be reduced, noting in a press conference at the time that both Erik and Lyle would be “eligible for parole immediately” since they were under 26 years old when the murders occurred.
“They have been in prison for nearly 35 years. I believe that they have paid their debt to society,” Gascón said at the time, adding that the brothers were “safe to be integrated into society.”
The effort to secure the brothers’ early release hit a potential roadblock in November, when Nathan Hochman was elected the new district attorney of Los Angeles, taking over for Gascón. Hochman assured TMZ that the case would take “high priority” when he assumed office in December, but he also explained in a statement to CNN that there could be a delay as he thoroughly reviewed the details.
Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Murder Trial: Where Are The Key Players Now?
As the brothers awaited a decision, their extended family publicly requested their release from prison. Bryan Freedman, an attorney for 24 extended family members of José and Kitty, issued a statement on their behalf to Us Weekly in November 2024.
“The 24 family members I represent are both victims and the family of those that have been sentenced. They should no longer have to suffer,” Freedman said. “It’s time Erik and Lyle Menéndez are released. For theirs and their family’s sake. These men have served their time and proven themselves to be exemplary citizens during their incarceration despite no hope of release. It’s time they and the family are allowed to heal.”
The statement continued: “Childhood sexual abuse is not gender based, and a failure to recognize that sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Politics should not stand in the way of doing the right thing. I would find it hard to believe Nathan Hochman would feel differently. The family of the victims and my firm will continue to exercise their victims rights and are cautiously optimistic that the DA, the DA elect, the governor and anyone committed to upholding true justice will join us.”
