LOS ANGELES โ After spending nearly 30 years in prison, Erik and Lyle Menendez have had their sentences altered, making them eligible for parole. A Los Angeles judge decided on Tuesday to reduce their previous life sentences without parole, granting them a new sentence of 50 years to life.
The Menendez brothers initially received their life sentences in 1996, after being convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their posh Beverly Hills residence back in 1989. A significant development occurred in the case last year when the then-District Attorney of Los Angeles, George Gascรณn, initiated a review due to new evidence that had come to light.
However, even with the revised sentencing, the Menendez brothers will still need to gain approval from the stateโs parole board before they can be released. This decision rests squarely with the board, which will adjudicate whether their extended prison time and the mitigating circumstances warrant their freedom.
**Chronology of Events in the Menendez Case**
**1990s:**
In March 1990, the Los Angeles police arrested Lyle Menendez, then aged 21. Within days, his brother Erik, who was 18 at the time, voluntarily surrendered. The authorities charged them both with first-degree murder.
By July 1993, the Menendez brothers went on trial, represented by different juries. Prosecutors contended the murders were financially motivated, whereas the defense admitted the killings but claimed the brothers acted out of a long history of emotional and sexual abuse inflicted by their father. The trial ended with both juries deadlocked in January 1994.
During a retrial in October 1995, which involved a single jury, key evidence regarding the alleged abuse was mostly excluded. Consequently, the jurors convicted them of first-degree murder by March 1996, leading to life sentences without parole in the following July.
A series of appeals followed. In February 1998, a California appeals court upheld their convictions, and later that year, the state Supreme Court concurred.
The defendants sought relief through habeas corpus petitions locally and federally, but those were eventually denied, the latest refusal coming in September 2005 from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
**2023:**
On May 3, defense attorneys for the Menendez brothers petitioned the court for reconsideration concerning their convictions and sentencing. The new evidence included allegations from a former member of the boy band Menudo, claiming he was sexually assaulted by Jose Menendez when he was a teenager. Additionally, a letter penned by Erik to his cousin before the murders detailing his fatherโs abuses came to light.
**2024:**
In September, Netflix unveiled โMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,โ a detailed nine-episode series covering the case.
In early October, Gascรณn revealed ongoing reviews of the emerging evidence. Later, family members rallied publicly, urging for their release, suggesting jurors in the original case were not prepared to accept narratives asserting boys could experience such trauma.
Los Angeles prosecutors stated intentions to seek resentencing, hinting at potential freedom for the brothers. Later in November, Governor Gavin Newsom mentioned he would reserve any decision on clemency until the case had a fresh evaluation by an incoming district attorney.
**2025:**
In February, the newly appointed district attorney, Nathan Hochman, expressed firm opposition to a retrial, dismissing claims about the abuse being a substantial factor. He further directed the parole board to undertake a risk assessment to gauge the rehabilitation extent of the brothers and public safety implications.
A judge subsequently refused the repeated prosecutorial motions to retract their resentencing plea in April. A month later, the presiding judge, Michael Jesic, officially restructured their sentences to 50 years to life, rendering the brothers parole-eligible due to their age during the crime. It now falls to the state parole board to decide their future outside prison.