Could the Menendez Brothers get released from prison soon? This is one of the burning questions that Netflix viewers have amid the releases of shows centered on their high-profile case.
The brothers are recently back in the media spotlight due to the success of Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and The Menendez Brothers documentary film.
The Menendez Brothers' High-Profile Case
After years of trials, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 for killing their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez. They shot them to death at their home in Beverly Hills in 1989.
The brothers argued that the killings were self-defense after suffering from a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse from their parents. However, the prosecutor insisted they were lies and alleged they did it to inherit their parents' estate.
In the end, they were sentenced to life in prison without parole. They are incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
Since then, the brothers have been the subject of documentaries and scripted series that tackle their high-profile case. There were also attempts to file an appeal, most notably in 2023 where they presented new evidence.
Could the Menendez Brothers Get Released?
In the aftermath of the release of the Netflix shows, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that they are reviewing new evidence regarding the case.
One of them is a handwritten letter from Erik that corroborates the claims that they were sexually abused by their father.
Another piece of evidence that the brothers' lawyers have referred to is former Menudo member Roy Rosselló's allegation that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him when he was 14 while visiting their home.
"We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing information," Gascón said.
A new hearing to discuss a potential retrial or resentencing for the brothers is currently scheduled for November 29.
Will this lead to the Menendez brothers getting released from prison? It will all depend on the new evidence that they are reviewing, but it is a possibility now.
"None of this information has been confirmed. We are not at this point ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information, but we’re here to tell you is that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us and make a determination based on a resentencing side, whether they deserve to be resentenced — even though they were clearly the murderers — because they have been in prison for years and they have paid back their dues to society," Gascón explained.
"If there was evidence that was not presented to the court at that time, and had that evidence been presented, perhaps a jury would have come to a different conclusion."
What do you think of the new development? Let us know in the comments!
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