LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors will announce Thursday whether they will recommend a resentencing Erik and Lyle Menendez for the murder of their parents in Beverly Hills in 1989.
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón scheduled a news conference to discuss his office’s decision for 1:30 p.m.
If prosecutors recommend a renewed sentence, they will need court approval.
Lyle Menendezthen 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez. The brothers said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent people from finding out that Jose Menendez had sexually abused Erik Menendez for years.
The brothers’ extended family has called for their releaseand say they deserve to be free after decades behind bars. Several family members have said that in today’s world — which is more aware of the impact of sexual abuse — the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
The Menendez brothers were tried twice for the murder of their parents, with the first trial ending in a hung jury.
Prosecutors argued at the time that there was no evidence of sexual assault, and that many details in their story of sexual abuse were not allowed during the second trial. The district attorney’s office also said at the time that the brothers were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.
