US EditionErik and Lyle Menendez can be resentenced for their parents' murders, judge rules
- A judge in Los Angeles County ruled on Tuesday to lessen the Menendez brothers’ sentences from life imprisonment without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, giving Erik and Lyle Menendez a renewed opportunity for release after spending 35 years in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents.
- The resentencing decision follows changes in law allowing parole eligibility under California's youthful offender statute since the brothers committed the crime under age 26, alongside arguments that modern views on sexual abuse and the brothers' rehabilitation warrant consideration.
- During prison, the Menendez brothers initiated programs assisting elderly and disabled inmates, which impressed former judge Jonathan Colby, and helped rehabilitate inmates like Anerae Brown, who called it "Menendez University" and credited the brothers for his release and healing.
- Prosecutors, led by current DA Nathan Hochman, oppose the resentencing, pointing to recent rule violations by the brothers and their lack of full accountability for their actions. Hochman explained, "Our position is not 'no,' it's not 'never,' it's 'not yet,'" while Judge Michael Jesic remarked that deciding on their release is not within his authority.
- The brothers must still prove rehabilitation and parole suitability before the state parole board, and defense attorney Mark Geragos emphasized that resentencing focuses on rehabilitation, seeking a reduction to manslaughter and immediate release, while family members expressed belief that 35 years is enough and forgave them.
150 Articles
150 Articles
Resentencing Brings Menendez Brothers Closer to Freedom
After more than three decades behind bars, the Menendez brothers are a step closer to being free. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced Erik and Lyle Menendez’s sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. The Tuesday ruling makes the pair, who have been detained since March 1990 and were originally sentenced in July 1996 at ages 25 and 28 respectively, eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender l…
Sydney Morning Herald
Menendez brothers have murder sentences reduced, putting them a step closer to freedom
Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, who rose to wider fame via a popular Netflix series, are now eligible for parole after LA County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life
Judge Hands Menendez Brothers’ Fate to Newsom in Shock Twist
Erik and Lyle Menendez are one step closer to freedom after a judge on Tuesday reduced their sentence and opened up the possibility that the brothers might be granted parole. The dramatic development comes more than 30 years after they were placed behind bars for the 1989 murder of their parents. Following a day of testimonies from family members and even a former inmate, Judge Michael V. Jesic of the Los Angeles Superior Court made the landmark…
Judge Resentences Menendez Brothers
After decades in prison, freedom is within reach for the Menendez brothers. A Los Angeles judge resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life Tuesday for the 1989 murders of their parents, making them immediately eligible for parole, KTLA reports. They are eligible for parole because they were...
U.S. Justice ruling favors Menéndez brothers and brings them closer to parole
The Lyle brothers and Erik Menéndez, who have been in prison for more than 30 years for murdering their parents, received judicial relief on Tuesday: U.S. Justice changed their sentence and opened a new opportunity for them to access parole.The case gained popularity in the last time for a series launched in Netflix.In the wake of the parricide that shook the United States in 1989, the brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole,…
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