Erik and Lyle Menendez, brothers imprisoned for more than 30 years for killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in August 1989, will receive a new court hearing. Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21 when they carried out the murders.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon announced Thursday, Oct. 3, that the brothers submitted new evidence alleging the Menedez brothers were sexually abused by their father and killed their parents in self-defense.
“We have been given evidence,” Gascon said. “We have been given a photocopy of a letter that allegedly was sent by one of the brothers to another family member talking about him being a victim of molestation.”
Gascon also said that the defense submitted evidence from a member of the Menudo band, who claimed he, too, was molested by Jose Menendez.
“None of this information has been confirmed,” Gascon said. “We are not, at this point, ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information. But we’re here to tell you, so we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us.”
During the Menendez brothers’ first trials, Erik and Lyle claimed their father sexually, physically, and emotionally abused them and that their mother was violent toward them. They admitted to shooting and killing their parents, claiming they did so in self-defense because they feared for their lives.
The prosecution argued the brothers killed Jose and Kitty to inherit their parents’ fortune. The first trial resulted in a hung jury.
The brothers were retried, but their abuse claims — along with TV news cameras — were largely excluded from the second trial. They were convicted on charges of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The September 2024 release of the new Netflix series titled “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has garnered new national interest in the case.
Entertainer and criminal justice reform advocate Kim Kardashian also penned an op-ed for NBC News calling for their release from prison.
A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26. After the hearing, the Menendez brothers could possibly receive a new trial or be resentenced.
