Why the Menendez Brothers Being Resentenced to Life in Prison Means Possible Freedom
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More than three decades after being arrested for murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills home, Lyle and Erik Menendez were resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in a Los Angeles courthouse on Tuesday. But for the first time, this signals the possibility of freedom for the Menendez brothers, who until now have been currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole since their March 1996 conviction. Their case will now go to California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state parole board.
Judge Michael V. Jesic of Los Angeles Superior Court issued the decision following a day of testimony from family members, who said the brothers had transformed their lives in prison through education and self-help programs, and asked the court to reduce the sentences for the 1989 murders. As reported by The New York Times, Judge Jesic said he was most shocked by the amount of letters from corrections officers written on behalf of the brothers.
'I'm not suggesting they should be released. That's not for me to decide,' the judge said, per the NYT. 'I do believe they have done enough over the last 35 years to get that chance.'
Under the California constitution, the Governor can review parole grants recommended by the Board of Parole Hearings. The review, which can take up to 150 days, considers whether the person poses an unreasonable risk to public safety.
The journey to the parole board has been in motion for months now. Last fall, Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón said he would be recommending resentencing for the brothers, who were convicted for the first-degree murder of their parents. 'I will never imply that what we're doing here is to excuse their behavior...if you get abused, the right path is to call the police,' Gascón said at the time. 'Even though they didn't think they would ever be let free, they engaged in a different journey—a journey of redemption and a journey of rehabilitation."
However, in March, Gascón's successor, district attorney Nathan Hochman, withdrew that recommendation, arguing that 'based on the current state of the record and the Menendez brothers' current and continual failure to show full insight and accept full responsibility for their murders,' Hochman said in a statement at the time.
The Menendez brothers' case received renewed attention last year, thanks to Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the Menendez brothers documentary. The Menendez case first unfolded amid the upheaval of 1990s Los Angeles, marked by public skepticism about sexual abuse claims and sensational trial coverage. Their first trial in 1993 ended in mistrials during a period of citywide unrest following the Rodney King verdict. A second trial, held after O.J. Simpson's acquittal, imposed stricter courtroom rules—banning cameras and limiting abuse testimony—leading to the brothers' conviction and life sentences without parole. But in recent years, with younger generations have learned about the case online and rallied behind the brothers on social media, seeing them as victims of a flawed justice system as well as long-overlooked sexual abuse, addressed in the Netflix series and documentary.
Both brothers admitted guilt and took responsibility during the resentencing hearing on Tuesday, per NBC News.
'My actions were criminal, selfish, cruel and cowardly. I have no excuse, no justification for what I did. I take full responsibility for my crimes,' Erik Menendez told the court, per NBC. 'After the killings, I denied all responsibility. I am sorry for these lies. There is no excuse for my behavior.'
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