LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents, a judge ruled Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers\u2019 sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They\u2019re now eligible for parole under California\u2019s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. The state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison.<\/p>\n
The brothers appeared via livestream video and spoke for the first time in court before the ruling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification,\u201d Lyle said in a statement to the court. \u201cThe impact of my violent actions on my family … is unfathomable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erik also spoke about taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing to his family. \u201cYou did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.<\/p>\n
The case has captured the public\u2019s attention for decades \u2014 and last year, the Netflix drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and documentary The Menendez Brothers brought new attention to the case. Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in the past few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday is a great day after 35 years,\u201d defense attorney Mark Geragos said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have evolved,\u201d Geragos said. \u201cThis is not the \u201990s anymore. We have a more robust understanding of a lot of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defense began by calling Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, who testified that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,\u201d Baralt said. \u201cThey are universally forgiven by our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another cousin, Tamara Goodell, said she had recently taken her 13-year-old son to meet the brothers in prison, and that they would contribute a lot of good to the world if released.<\/p>\n
The judge said he had given \u201clong thought\u201d to what sentences the brothers deserved, taking into account all of the arguments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do give them a lot of credit for changing their lives,\u201d Jesic said.<\/p>\n
He said he was especially moved by a letter that was submitted by a prison official who wrote in support of the resentencing, something he had never done for any inmate in 25 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying they should be released, it\u2019s not for me to decide,\u201d Jesic said. \u201cI do believe they\u2019ve done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get that chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attorneys for the brothers proved they had been rehabilitated in prison and deserve a lesser sentence.<\/p>\n
The judge reduced their charges to manslaughter, and gave them time served to allow them to be immediately released.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles County prosecutors argued against the resentencing. They said the brothers have not taken complete responsibility for the crime. \u201cThey have not come clean\u201d about their crimes, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.<\/p>\n
Geragos emphasized that the purpose of resentencing is to \u201cencourage rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The previous LA County District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. His office said the case would\u2019ve been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers\u2019 rehabilitation over three decades in prison.<\/p>\n
A resentencing petition laid out by Gasc\u00f3n focused on the brothers\u2019 accomplishments and rehabilitation. Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates.<\/p>\n
A former judge who said he considered himself tough on crime, Jonathan Colby, told the court that he was impressed with the programs the brothers started during their time in prison to provide aid and care for older and disabled inmates. He got to know them over a series of prison visits.<\/p>\n
Former inmate Anerae Brown cried as he testified about how the brothers helped him heal and get on the path to rehabilitation, leading to his release from prison.<\/p>\n
He called the programs they started \u201cMenendez University.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have children now,\u201d he said. \u201cWithout Lyle and Erik I might still be sitting in there doing stupid things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Menendez brothers’ case has been a long and complex one, with many twists and turns. The recent ruling by Judge Michael Jesic has given the brothers a new chance at freedom, and it will be up to the state parole board to decide whether to release them from prison.<\/p>\n
The brothers’ rehabilitation and remorse for their actions have been key factors in their resentencing, and it is clear that they have made significant efforts to change their lives and contribute to the well-being of others.<\/p>\n
A: The Menendez brothers were originally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n
A: The Menendez brothers have been resentenced to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law.<\/p>\n
A: The brothers’ rehabilitation, remorse for their actions, and the support of their family and former district attorney were all key factors in their resentencing.<\/p>\n
A: The state parole board will now decide whether to release the Menendez brothers from prison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Menendez Brothers Case LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents, a judge ruled Tuesday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers\u2019 sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5752","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/M4PML4PFPBYAGAZTJOZZXQFGZM.jpg?auth=3ad32b11911887f8b3633ad4184eff46a8f4679c6f6b03df9eef59720bf53033&height=630&width=1200&smart=true&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5752"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5754,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752\/revisions\/5754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}