With true crime interest holding on to its fanbase and Ryan Murphy cleaning up in viewership (and some might say exploitation), the focus inevitably shifted to two of the most infamous brothers of the 20th century: Lyle and Erik Menendez, the siblings who murdered their parents in 1989 and are currently serving life in prison. But in the wake of Murphy’s miniseries Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Lyle and Erik have been the subject of some legal conversations that gave them hope of release.
The story of Lyle and Erik Menendez had been virtually dormant for 30 years but once Murphy’s show hit Netflix, a newfound interest hit the mainstream. It should be noted, however, that it’s new evidence – and not Murphy’s dramatization – that would see the case back in courts. Things started heating up last October, with Los Angeles D.A. George Gascón requesting the case be put under review. However, with Gascón on his way out and Nathan Hochman taking over the district attorney position in December, things were put at a bit of a standstill. Despite this shift, Lyle and Erik Menendez are expected to appear at the Los Angeles County Superior Court next month.
The ultimate goal for the lawyers of Lyle and Erik Menendez is to see that their life sentence get reduced to 50 years to life, which given their age and time served, would make them eligible for parole.
As for their threat to society – a topic always considered when potentially releasing a murderer from incarceration – appellate attorney Cliff Gardner told The Hollywood Reporter, “Rehabilitation is a large factor of reentry. Reentry plans, whether there will be a danger in the future, how they’ve done in custody on the various scales that measure whether someone is a danger. They’re probably as low as you can be in terms of their likelihood of reoffending. But there’s all sorts of criteria that go into it.” Gardner also predicted that newfound evidence – primarily related to abuse – could nudge towards a decision that would find them released.
While it’s true that the odds of Lyle and Erik Menendez committing a similar murder are at zero (for obvious reasons), no doubt a resentencing that could lead to the release of the brothers will stir up debate, protests and a hundred podcasts giving their own take on the matter.
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