Menendez brothers could be freed after US prosecutor urges resentencing in murder case
Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the killings of their parents
Lyle and Erik Menendez, the two brothers whose grisly 1989 murder of their wealthy parents was the subject of a recent Netflix series, could be released from prison after a US prosecutor said Thursday he would ask a judge to look again at their sentences.
The pair were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the shotgun slayings in the family’s swanky Beverly Hills home, following a blockbuster trial that gripped the United States and grabbed headlines around the world.
Prosecutors at the time argued that the two had plotted to murder Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez in a bid to hasten a US$14 million inheritance.
But supporters said they were the victims of sustained sexual and physical abuse, and had snapped after years of suffering at the hands of a tyrannical father.
“After a very careful review of all the arguments... I believe that under the law, resentencing is appropriate, and I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon told reporters Thursday.