Will Menendez Brothers Go Free? DA to Make Imminent Announcement on Resentencing

Mar. 15, 2025

Erik and Lyle Menendez.Photo:California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP

Los Angeles County District AttorneyGeorge Gascónwill announce his decision about possibly recommending the resentencing ofErik and Lyle Menendezon Thursday, Oct. 24, his office said.

Gascón will hold a press conference at 1:30 PT at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles, his office said in a press release.

He is making the decision after reviewing new evidence in the case as well as the brothers' behavior and rehabilitation in prison.

Gascón can make a recommendation on resentencing, but a judge will ultimately make the final decision.

Lyle, 56, and Erik, 53, are currently serving sentences of life in prison without parole after being convicted of the first-degree murders of their parentsJose and Kitty Menendez.

Since 2023, Gascón’s office has been reviewing a Habeas Corpus petition attorneys for the brothers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, which cites new evidence.

Gascón spoke about the petition at a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 3, saying that his office was “keeping an open” mind aboutthe Menendez brothers’resentencing.

Last week, the brothers’family membersheld a press conference in downtown Los Angeles asking the district attorney’s office to free the brothers.

At the press conference, numerous family members cited the sex abuse the brothers alleged they endured at the hands of Jose.

Acknowledging that the brothers “were clearly the murderers,” Gascón, who is up for reelection in November, said his office had “a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us” and to determine if such evidence could have swayed jurors away from first-degree murder convictions.

Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 when they fatally shot their parents using 12-gauge shotguns in the den of their Beverly Hills, Calif., home on Aug. 20, 1989.

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Jose, 45, was hit multiple times, including point blank in the head. Kitty, 47, was shot multiple times, including once in the face.

However, prosecutors at the time said the two brothers’ motive was greed and cited their lavish spending spree after the slayings.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

source: people.com