The Menendez brothers; Erik and Lyle Menendez are two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in a case that shock America more than three decades ago. Los Angeles County district attorney now recommends that the two brothers should now be resentenced by a judge and released on parole.
Menendez Brothers Age
Lyle Menendez is 56 years old while his younger brother Erik Menendez is 53 years old. They are currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole in California.
Menendez Brothers Murders their Parents
Erik and Lyle were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989, when they were 18 and 21 years old. After going through two trials, the men were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996. The case centred on Erik and Lyle Menendez’s motive in the murders, in which their parents were shot 13 times as they watched television. During their criminal trials in the 1990s, prosecutors painted the brothers as rich kids who methodically planned the murders to gain access to their parents’ fortune.
the menendez brothers just got recommended for resentencing 🥲 pic.twitter.com/6vlSgHm53g
— ٍّ (@coopersbaby) October 24, 2024
But their defence attorneys argued the brothers were victims of years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and only acted out of self-defence.
One new piece of evidence was a letter from Erik Menendez to another family member that appears to be from 1988 and details the alleged abuse by his father, Jose.
The other evidence came from a then-underage member of the 1980s Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. The band member alleged Jose Menendez, who worked as an executive at record company RCA at the time, drugged and raped him during a visit to Menendez’s home.
The case started on 20 August 1989 when the brothers called police and reported finding their parents’ bodies after returning home.
Kim Kardashian Advocates for Menendez Brothers Court Hearing
Marca.com reports that Kim Kardashian is showing support to what she believes it’s a cause that is worth it, as reportedly she is happy that Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case is taking a new turn and evidence is showing that the brothers were victims of abuse. Earlier this month, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced that the brothers had been granted a hearing in November. The court hearing date will reevaluate new evidence that the brothers were allegedly sexually abused by their father.
In a recent interview Kim Kardashian Said, “I don’t think they ever got a fair second trial and I feel like since then, for me, watching Ryan Murphy’s show Monsters really opened things up for me and showed me a lot about the abuse,”
Kim Kardashian continues to advocate for the Menendez Brothers' freedom. ✍🏾 #TSRStaffAS 📷 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION pic.twitter.com/Nnwc8pzrxW
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) October 24, 2024
Menendez Brothers Portrayed in Netflix Series Monster’s
The story of the Menendez brothers has once again been a topic of debate after Ryan Murphy portrayed their story for the second season of his Netflix series Monsters. Episodes four and five explored Erik and Lyle’s claims that they killed their parents in self-defense after years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Kim Kardashian also added, “”The prosecution should correct the mistake it made many years ago. “It doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have served a sentence,” Kim Kardashian added to the media. “It just means that I truly believe that they deserve a second chance and that they have served enough time.”
Kim Kardashian hopes the Menendez brothers will get out of prison: "To have life [in prison] without the possibility of parole — without the possibility, to me, is so unjust and so unfair." | #AcademyMuseumGala pic.twitter.com/aFTRkvovzE
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2024
Menendez Brothers Reported they Found their Parents Dead
According to BBC.Com, Jose and Kitty Menendez were found dead inside their Beverly Hills mansion after being shot multiple times in August 1989.
Their sons – Erik and Lyle – called police, telling authorities they had gotten home and found their parents dead.
Authorities, at first, didn’t suspect the brothers. The couple was shot 13 times with two shotguns. The brutal nature of the crime led authorities to thinking maybe it was a mob hit.
But the brothers started to draw scrutiny with their behaviour – dolling out money on lavish spending sprees – including buying Rolex watches – gambling and partying.
FREE THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS. pic.twitter.com/cFZF0wcqJC
— n ♡ (@kyeoptabitch) October 23, 2024
A confession to their psychologist was their undoing. The doctor’s girlfriend audio recorded them making the admission and reported it to authorities.
In March 1990, the brothers were charged by police. They went to trial in 1993 and the brothers admitted to the killings – but argued they acted out of self-defence and feared their parents would kill them first.
They outlined years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse – namely by their father, Jose, who had gone on to be a film executive in Hollywood.
Lyle and Erik testified they confronted their parents about the sexual abuse and things had become combative in their household and they believed their parents were planning to kill them.
Family members testified about the abuse they witnessed – but none said they saw sexual abuse firsthand.
Prosecutors argued their motive was money – namely their parents’ $14m (£10.8m) fortune. They outlined their methodical planning, purchasing two shotguns days before the killings and their spending sprees afterwards. They painted the brothers as spoiled sons who thought they could get away with anything.
Their first trial ended with a mistrial, but a second in 1995 led to them to being convicted of first-degree murder.
