Lyle and Erik Menendez, two brothers who killed their parents , will appear in court on Monday. It has been almost 28 years since they were last seen in court.
The brothers are asking for a new sentence after new evidence came out. They say they killed their parents because they were scared after years of abuse. Prosecutors said the murders were planned, but now the case is being looked at again.
What Happened Years Ago
In 1989, Lyle and Erik killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. At the time, Lyle was 21 years old, and Erik was 18. The brothers called 911 and said someone had killed their parents.
Police later arrested them and said they killed their parents to take their money. The brothers said they killed them because their father abused them for years.
After two trials, both brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 and since then they have not seen in the court anymore for 28 years till now.
Why Are They Back in Court?
In 2023, a new documentary came out with fresh evidence. It included a man named Roy Rosselló, who said Jose Menendez abused him too. There is also a letter from Erik to his cousin, written before the murders, that talked about the abuse.
The Los Angeles DA recommended that the brothers should be resentenced. This could allow them to leave prison sooner because they were young when the crime happened. You can read more about the Menendez case on CNN’s report here.
What’s Next?
The court will decide if their resentencing hearing will happen on December 11 or if it will be delayed. A new DA, Nathan Hochman, will take office soon. He has said he needs time to review all the evidence.
The current DA, George Gascón, said the brothers have been model prisoners and helped others in prison. He also wrote a letter to California’s governor asking for the brothers to be freed. Bookmark Famous Times for more latest news.
