With new evidence, renewed Hollywood interest, and a potential resentencing, the Menendez brothers are once again in the spotlight. Former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón formally recommended in late 2024 that Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced and made eligible for immediate parole, pending a judge’s final decision in 2025.
“There was no excuse for murder … because even if you get abused, the right path is to call police, seek help,” Gascón said at the time. Still, he added, “I believe they have paid their debt to society.”
Their case remains one of the most controversial cases, as debate continues over whether the brothers killed their parents for financial gain or as a desperate response to years of alleged sexual abuse by their father, José Menendez.
Learn more about the brothers’ case below.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were born in New Jersey, raised by their mother, Kitty, and father, Jose, who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba. They spent part of their lives in New Jersey but eventually moved to California, where the murders of their parents took place.
At the time of their trials, many believed the motive was financial, as the brothers stood to inherit a substantial sum. However, during the trials, Erik and Lyle testified that they endured years of sexual abuse by their father, which they claimed drove them to commit the murders.
Their first trial in 1993 ended in a mistrial, with the jury unable to reach a verdict. It wasn’t until 1996 that a second trial resulted in both brothers receiving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
