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Lyle Menendez, right, and his brother Erik appear in a Los Angeles court in 1992 with their attorney, Leslie Abramson, left. (Chris Martinez / Associated Press)
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón plans to ask a judge to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers serving life sentences for the murders of their parents, in a move that could potentially lead to their release.
Gascón will propose that their current life sentences without the possibility of parole be replaced with sentences of 50 years to life, which could make them eligible for parole as youthful offenders, since they were under 26 at the time of the crime.
“I reached a point where I believe resentencing is appropriate under the law, and I intend to recommend it,” Gascón said.
The Menendez brothers were convicted of murder with special circumstances, a charge that typically mandates life without parole or the death penalty. However, on Thursday, DA George Gascón announced he would ask the court to resentence them on a standard murder charge, allowing the possibility of parole.
“I believe they have paid their debt to society,” Gascón stated.
Originally sentenced to life without parole after being found guilty of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home, the 1989 case and its televised trial captivated the public, inspiring numerous documentaries, movies, and TV series that made the brothers widely recognizable.
After years of unsuccessful appeals, this resentencing could offer the brothers a potential path to freedom.
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