Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers convicted of killing their parents in a case that shocked America more than three decades ago, should be retried by a judge and released on bail, the district attorney has recommended of Los Angeles.
The 1989 murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion haunted the United States for years and recently inspired a popular Netflix series.
The case is centered on the motive for the murder of Erik and Lyle Menendez, in which their parents were shot 13 times while watching television.
George Gascón, the chief prosecutor of Los Angeles County, announced Thursday that new evidence in the case warranted a review of his life sentences.
Watch: Los Angeles DA recommends sentencing of Menendez brothers
Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers convicted of killing their parents in a case that shocked America more than three decades ago, should be retried by a judge and released on bail, the district attorney has recommended of Los Angeles. The murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez in 1989 in their Beverly Hills mansion have been talked about in the United States for years and have recently inspired a hit Netflix series.
The case centered on the motive for the murder of Erik and Lyle Menendez, in which their parents were shot 13 times while watching television.
George Gascón, the chief prosecutor of Los Angeles County, announced Thursday that new evidence in the case warranted a review of his life sentences.
Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole in California.
They still have a long way to go before the brothers can be released. A judge will have the final say on whether the brothers should be re-sentenced, and a parole board will consider whether they should be released from prison after serving more than 30 years.
The two brothers were not informed in advance about the decision of Mr. Gascon, nor members of the Menendez family.
“I think that the brothers were victims of a great dysfunction in the house and of sexual assault,” said Mr. Gascón.
He added that while there is no justification for the murder, “I think they have paid their debt to society.”
During their criminal trials in the 1990s, prosecutors portrayed the brothers as the sons of wealthy men who methodically planned the murders to gain access to their parents’ wealth. But their lawyers argued that the brothers were victims of years of psychological, physical and sexual abuse and that they only acted in self-defense.
Watch: Los Angeles prosecutor recommends reconsideration of Menendez brothers’ convictions
The announcement of Mr.
One of the new pieces of evidence was a letter from Erik Menendez to another family member that appeared to be dated 1988 and described alleged abuse by his father, José.
Other evidence came from a minor member of the 1980s Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. The band member claimed that José Menendez, who worked as an executive at the RCA record company at the time, drugged and raped him during a visit to Menendez’s home.
The case began on August 20, 1989 when the brothers – then aged 18 and 21 – called the police and reported that they had found the bodies of their parents after returning home.
