What’s next for Menendez brothers? Sentences reduced for sons who killed entertainment executive and his wife

Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after spending 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents.

LOS ANGELES — The 1989 shotgun murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez in Los Angeles gripped the nation.

The killings of the entertainment executive and his wife in their wealthy Beverly Hills neighbourhood were brutal. Their son Lyle Menendez was the one who called 911, with the brothers initially claiming the killing was Mafia-related or connected to their father’s business dealings.

Lyle Menendez was attending Princeton University, and his younger brother Erik Menendez was a tennis star.

The brothers were later arrested, charged and convicted for their parents’ deaths.

The brothers have argued that they committed the crimes in self-defence after years of abuse by their father.

On Tuesday, the brothers were granted their first chance at freedom in decades. A Los Angeles judge reduced the brothers’ sentences from life in prison without parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole.

Here’s what to know:

Why is the case famous?

Coming on the heels of the O.J. Simpson trial, the nation was hungry for true crime TV. The brothers’ first trial was one of the first to be almost entirely televised on Court TV. It spawned documentaries, television specials and dramatizations.

The Netflix drama “Monsters: Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and the documentary “The Menendez Brothers,” released in the fall of 2024, have been credited for bringing new attention to the case.

What happened at resentencing?

The brothers’ lawyers turned to family members and those who knew the brothers since their conviction to speak to their character and rehabilitation in prison in front of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic.

The Menendez family have supported the brothers and called for their release since their resentencing effort began last fall.

Prosecutors, who have opposed the brothers’ resentencing, did not call any witnesses. They’ve argued the brothers haven’t taken full responsibility for their crimes.

Erik and Lyle Menendez appeared virtually to read their statements to the court.

“You did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better,” Erik Menendez said, addressing his family.

Jesic issued his decision immediately after the brothers spoke, granting them a new sentence of 50 years to life.

How soon could they go before the parole board?

The brothers are immediately eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime at ages 18 and 21, both under the age of 26.

Parole suitability hearings are conducted by a state board to determine if a person should be released. An inmate will be scheduled for their first hearing no later than six months following their eligibility date, according to board policy.

They already have a hearing before the board scheduled for June 13 in a clemency petition they’ve submitted to Gov. Gavin Newsom. It’s not yet clear if that will serve as their formal parole hearing or if a separate one will be scheduled.

Newsom ordered the state parole board to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment for him to determine their danger to the public if released.

Anne Bremner, a trial lawyer in Seattle, said the brothers will have some pressure on them to prepare for the parole board and impress upon them that they should be let out.

“My guess is the parole board has been watching this and of course they’ve done these risk assessments already,” she said. They know “who these two are, what their alleged crimes were and what they’ve done since the time that they were incarcerated until today.”

What happens if parole is denied or granted?

If they are denied at their first parole hearing, they will continue to receive subsequent hearings until they are granted release.

If parole is granted, Newsom could still move to override the board. If he lets the parole decision stand, the brothers would be released from prison.

What other avenues do they have for release?

In May 2023, the brothers’ attorneys also filed a petition for habeas corpus to the court, asking for a new trial in light of new evidence of their sexual abuse. LA prosecutors have filed a motion opposing that petition, but its status is unclear.

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Associated Press writer Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

Jaimie Ding, The Associated Press