After spending 35 years in prison, Lyle and Erik Menendez are feeling closer than ever to the possibility of release. The brothers were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 after they fatally shot Jose and Kitty Menendez, their parents, in 1989. New evidence regarding Jose Menendez’s sexual abuse history seems to support the Menendez brothers’ claims of being abused by him before the murders. This has led to a prosecutor recommending parole for them.
On Thursday, October 24, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon held a press conference. There, he stated that he would recommend the judge to resentence the Menendez brothers. The new evidence that led to this decision was a letter written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, Andy Cano. In it, he alluded to his father’s abuse. According to the defense, the letter was written 8 months before the murders.
This would change their initial sentence of life …