Menendez Brothers’ Resentencing: When Will Lyle & Erik Be Released From Prison?
Lyle and Erik’s case is being revisited more than 20 years after they were convicted of the murder of their parents, which the brothers claim was because of alleged emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
A press conference was held on October 24, 2024, about Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez‘s potential resentencing. As support for the Menendez brothers poured in following the release of Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced a new court hearing for the siblings, which was scheduled to take place on November 29, 2024. The DA, however, has decided to take action earlier and move forward with Erik and Lyle‘s potential resentencing.
Hollywood Life has the latest update on Lyle and Erik’s resentencing, below.
Were Lyle & Erik Menendez Resentenced?
Gascón announced during the October 24, 2024, press conference that he “decided to move forward” with Erik and Lyle’s case review because of the influx of public support for the brothers. The DA added that he is recommending the siblings’ resentencing for immediate parole.
While explaining that a resentencing “under the law” focuses “not necessarily on what the originally crimes were” but whether the inmate has “been rehabilitated” and can be “released safely” to the public.
“There was no excuse for murder … because even if you get abused, the right path is to call police, seek help,” Gascón clarified, referring to Erik and Lyle’s choice to kill their late parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in August 1989. However, Gascon added that many victims of sexual abuse “get desperate,” citing female victims “who have been battered for years” and “sometimes will murder their abuser.”
“I believe they have paid their debt to society,” Gascon added.
BREAKING: Los Angeles County DA recommends resentencing the Menendez brothers for the 1989 killings of their parents. https://t.co/5rQdUbS17D pic.twitter.com/xJcx3Wg2OB
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 24, 2024
When Will Lyle & Erik Menendez Be Released?
It’s still unclear when the Menendez brothers could be released from prison. Their possible resentencing date has not been set yet.
When the brothers shot their parents in August 1989, Erik was 18, and Lyle was 21. The brothers are now 53 and 56, respectively.
Do the Menendez Brothers Still Have Money?
After more than 20 years behind bars, Lyle and Erik reportedly exhausted any money they once had. Their net worths are currently unknown.
Some still believe that the siblings killed their parents to inherit their money — an accusation that both Lyle and Erik have called inaccurate.
Why Did the Menendez Brothers Kill Their Parents?
Erik and Lyle have maintained the reason for fatally shooting their mother and father. During their 1990s trials, the brothers described the alleged emotional, physical and sexual abuse that they endured during their childhoods. During both of their trials, Erik and Lyle detailed what José allegedly did to them when they were children.
Throughout the trials, defense attorney Leslie Abramson maintained both Erik and Lyle’s claims about the alleged sexual abuse they faced. Although Judge Stanley Weisberg sentenced them to life without the possibility of parole in 1996, Erik and Lyle sought rehabilitation behind bars, which District Attorney Gascón pointed out in October 2024. Additionally, new evidence was handed over to the court for further review. The evidence included two key pieces of information: a letter that Erik had written to his cousin Andy Cano months before he and Lyle killed their parents, admitting how fearful he was of José, and an allegation from former Menudo band member Roy Rosselló, who claimed that he was sexually abused by José when he was a minor.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.