The Menendez Brothers: Prosecutors say brothers should be resentenced in parents’ murders

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Prosecutors have announced that Lyle and Erik Menendez should be resentenced for the 1989 murders of their parents.

The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón held a news conference to discuss his office’s decision on Thursday afternoon.

Prosecutors will need the court’s approval before resentencing can move forward.

[TIMELINE: The Menendez brothers’ murder case]

Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez. The brothers said they feared their parents were about to kill them to stop people from finding out that Jose Menendez had sexually abused Erik Menendez for years.

The brothers’ extended family has pleaded for their release, saying 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.

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• Family of Erik and Lyle Menendez call for their release and say they’re victims who were vilified
• Menendez brothers’ case being reviewed because of ‘new evidence’
• Los Angeles prosecutors to review new evidence in Menendez brothers’ 1996 murder conviction

The Menendez brothers were tried twice for their parents’ murders, with the first trial ending in a hung jury.

Prosecutors at the time contended that there was no evidence of molestation, and many details in their story of sexual abuse were not permitted in the second trial. The district attorney’s office also said back then that the brothers were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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