The Menendez brothers are one step closer to freedom. What to know about their case

Lyle and Erik Menendez, who person spent much than 3 decades successful situation for fatally shooting their parents successful their Beverly Hills mansion, were resentenced connected Tuesday, moving 1 measurement person to imaginable freedom.

After a day-long hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced their sentences from beingness successful situation without parole to 50 years to life. This makes them eligible for parole nether California's youthful offender instrumentality due to the fact that they committed the murders earlier they were 26.

The brothers were found blameworthy successful 1996 of murdering their parents, Kitty and José Menendez, successful 1989 — erstwhile Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21. The brothers maintained that the killings were successful self-defense, saying they had been sexually abused by their begetter and feared for their lives.

While determination has agelong been a tiny but vocal radical of supporters defending the Menendez brothers, a Netflix documentary and docudrama brought renewed attention — and sympathy — to the brothers' lawsuit past year. Their defence has besides claimed there is caller evidence bolstering their intersexual maltreatment claims.

In October 2024, then-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón recommended the brothers beryllium resentenced, citing the "complexities surrounding intersexual violence" and their "continuous rehabilitative efforts during their incarceration." His successor, Nathan Hochman, who was elected a period later, disagrees — but his attempts to block the resentencing process person been unsuccessful.

All of that culminated successful Tuesday's hearing, during which the brothers' lawyers argued that they nary longer airs a hazard to information and respective members of their extended household lobbied for a 2nd chance.

The Menendez brothers, present successful their 50s, attended via video from situation and addressed the justice straight — apologizing for sidesplitting their parents and for lying successful the ensuing tribunal proceedings, according to ABC News.

Erik said determination was nary justification for his actions, which helium called "criminal, selfish and cowardly." But helium besides said helium had "come a agelong mode connected this way of redemption," adding, "I volition not halt trying to marque a difference."

Judge Michael Jesic cited the brothers' rehabilitation enactment connected themselves and others — arsenic good arsenic supportive letters helium had received from corrections officers — successful his resentencing decision, LAist reports.

"I bash judge they've done capable implicit the past 35 years that 1 time they should get that chance," Jesic said.

The brothers' destiny present rests with authorities parole officials and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has the powerfulness to either veto oregon assistance them clemency. According to the DA's office, the authorities parole committee is already scheduled to clasp a proceeding connected June 13 "as portion of a abstracted bid by the brothers for parole."

In the meantime, here's a look astatine however the lawsuit got present — and what mightiness hap next.

Who are the Menendez brothers? 

Lyle and Erik Menendez spent their aboriginal years successful New Jersey. The household moved to the Los Angeles country successful 1986 arsenic their father, José — an migrant from Cuba and palmy RCA grounds enforcement — roseate done the ranks of the amusement industry.

They moved into a seven-bedroom mansion successful Beverly Hills 2 years later. But the brothers accidental determination was a acheronian undercurrent to their privileged lifestyle, alleging that their parents subjected them to years of emotional, carnal and intersexual abuse.

In August 1989, arsenic José and Kitty Menendez were watching TV successful their surviving room, the brothers walked wrong and changeable them to decease with recently purchased 12-gauge shotguns. The brothers aboriginal called 911 and said their parents were killed by intruders.

Authorities initially suspected imaginable mafia involvement, owed to the utmost quality of the transgression country and José's concern connections. But they progressively focused their attraction connected the brothers, who had embarked connected a lavish spending spree successful the days and weeks aft the killings.

In aboriginal March 1990, Beverly Hills Police arrested Lyle successful transportation to his parents' murders. Erik, who was successful Israel for a tennis tourney astatine the time, turned himself successful days later.

What happened successful court? 

The lawsuit captivated overmuch of the country, successful portion due to the fact that Court TV broadcast the brothers' 1993 proceedings live.

Defense lawyers for the brothers argued that they had acted successful self-defense, with the brothers saying they feared their parents would termination them to soundlessness stories astir the alleged abuse. They alleged that José subjected them to carnal and intersexual maltreatment for years portion Kitty — described arsenic an unstable alcoholic who besides abused them — fto it happen.

Prosecutors, however, argued that the brothers were motivated by greed and wealth — their father's property was worthy nearly $15 million astatine the clip of his death.

In that trial, each member had his ain jury. Both of them deadlocked, resulting successful a mistrial.

In their second trial, the justice constricted the magnitude of grounds and grounds presented astir the brothers' claims of intersexual abuse, a halfway pillar of the brothers' self-defense strategy.

That proceedings ended successful 1996 with each member convicted of first-degree murder. They were sentenced to 2 consecutive beingness situation presumption without the anticipation of parole.

What person the brothers done successful prison? 

The archetypal 20 years of that situation condemnation saw the brothers kept successful abstracted prisons, but they person been housed successful the same San Diego correctional installation since 2018.

The brothers' lawyers person described them arsenic exemplary prisoners who person fixed backmost to others.

Both brothers got joined down bars: Erik joined his pen-pal-turned-wife Tammi successful 1999, portion Lyle joined Rebecca Sneed successful 2003. Sneed announced their separation successful 2024 but said she remained "forever committed to the enduring combat for Lyle and Erik's freedom."

Lyle earned a sociology grade from the University of California, Irvine done a situation program.

Kim Kardashian — the world prima and transgression justness advocator — wrote successful a 2024 essay that some brothers "have earned aggregate assemblage degrees, worked arsenic caregivers for aged incarcerated individuals successful hospice, and been mentors successful assemblage programs." Those efforts see launching a beautification project successful their San Diego prison.

Even arsenic helium lobbied against the brothers' merchandise astatine Tuesday's hearing, calling them untrustworthy, Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian acknowledged that they had "done large things" successful situation by starting and participating successful rehabilitation programs for others, per LAist.

What caller grounds has emerged? 

Lawyers for the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition successful May 2023, asking a justice to see new evidence of their father's intersexual abuse.

That grounds includes a missive Erik wrote successful 1988 to his uncle Andy Cano, describing intersexual maltreatment by his father. Their lawyers had not known of the missive earlier the brothers saw it mentioned successful a 2015 Barbara Walters tv peculiar and asked astir it, according to the Associated Press. The LAist reports it was lone discovered aft Cano's death.

Another portion of grounds comes from Roy Rossello, a erstwhile subordinate of the Latin lad set Menudo — which was signed nether RCA during José Menendez's tenure. He claimed successful a 2023 docuseries that José had drugged and raped him successful the 1980s, erstwhile helium was a teenager.

The brothers' lawsuit reentered the spotlight the pursuing year, not lone due to the fact that of the emerging grounds but due to the fact that of caller coverage: the true-crime play Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (which Erik has criticized) and The Menendez Brothers documentary some arrived connected Netflix successful the autumn of 2024.

Weeks later, 2 twelve Menendez relatives gathered successful Los Angeles to propulsion for the brothers' resentencing.

Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez's sister, told reporters the brothers "were failed by the precise radical who should person protected them."

"[In the 1990s] the satellite was not acceptable to judge boys could beryllium raped … Today, we cognize better," she added. "It's clip to springiness them the accidental to unrecorded the remainder of their lives escaped from the shadiness of their past."

What happens next? 

The brothers are eligible for parole nether California's youthful offender law, but are not guaranteed to locomotion escaped anytime soon.

The California Board of Parole Hearings is the assemblage liable for determining whether individuals are suitable for release. According to its handbook, that process typically involves a consultation, past an archetypal parole hearing.

If the sheet denies parole, it indispensable bash truthful for a play of three, five, seven, 10, oregon 15 years — astatine which constituent the idiosyncratic would get a consequent parole hearing. Even if the sheet does o.k. parole, that determination tin beryllium reviewed and vetoed by the governor, nether California law.

The governor's parole reappraisal process tin instrumentality up to 150 days aft a parole hearing, according to Newsom's website. Newsom said successful February that helium had directed the state's parole committee to analyse whether the Menendez brothers would airs an "unreasonable" nationalist information hazard if released.

He said the findings would beryllium presented to the territory lawyer and the justice presiding implicit the resentencing process — and stressed determination is "no warrant of result here."

"My bureau conducts dozens and dozens of these clemency reviews connected a accordant ground but this process simply provides much transparency, which I deliberation is important successful this case, and much owed diligence earlier I marque immoderate determination for clemency," Newsom said.

The Menendez brothers are already scheduled for a committee proceeding connected June 13, related to a abstracted petition for clemency. It's not wide if that volition besides service arsenic their parole hearing.