The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, George Gascón, recommends the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1996 for the killings of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez.
During the Thursday news conference, Gascón recommended that the brothers be sentenced to 50 years to life because they were under 26 years old at the time of the crimes. They will be eligible for parole immediately, he said.
“I came to a place where I believe, under the law, resentencing is appropriate,” Gascón said. Prosecutors will go to court Friday to make the request, but Gascón said some members of his office oppose the decision and may be in court as the case proceeds.
District Attorney George Gascón felt the Mendez brothers had paid their debt to society. Gascon’s office is filing for resentencing for life with the possibility of parole vs life without the possibility of parole. It is up to the judge and parole board to agree.
Lyle Menendez, then 21, and his younger brother Erik, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their parents, entertainment executive Jose Menendez and his wife, Kitty Menendez, in 1989. The brothers claimed they acted out of fear, believing their parents were about to kill them to prevent them from exposing years of sexual abuse by their father against Erik.
Decades later, the Menendez brothers’ extended family is calling for their release, arguing that the current understanding of the long-term impact of sexual abuse would have significantly altered the outcome of their trial. The family contends that, in today’s more aware and empathetic society, Lyle and Erik would not have been convicted of first-degree murder or sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Among those advocating for their freedom is Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister, who attended a press conference Thursday alongside several other family members. VanderMolen has been vocal in supporting the brothers’ release, believing they deserve a chance at freedom. Also present at the conference was Mark Geragos, a high-profile attorney representing the Menendez brothers.
