What we know about the Menendez brothers’ resentencing and what happens next
Nearly three decades after Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison for the murders of their parents, a California judge has reopened a door many believed would remain closed.
2025-05-14 12:04:16 - VI News Staff
In a stunning ruling on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life – making them eligible for parole.
The ruling is the latest twist in a case that has captivated America for decades, with an army of attorneys, family members and online supporters in recent years launching a renewed campaign for the brothers’ freedom, fueled in part by a wave of attention brought by a docuseries and a Netflix drama series recounting the case.
Here’s what we know:
Who are the Menendez brothers?
Lyle Menendez, 57, and his brother Erik Menendez, 54, have spent most of their adult lives behind bars for the murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at the family’s Beverly Hills home in 1989.
The brothers, who were aged 21 and 18 when they carried out the fatal shootings, were convicted of first-degree murder in a 1996 trial, more than two years after separate juries had failed to reach a verdict in their original trials.
The brothers admitted to the murders but have argued they acted in self-defense following years of sexual abuse by their father. Prosecutors claimed the killings were driven by the brothers’ desire for a multi-million dollar inheritance.