Who are the Menendez brothers? Why are they in the spotlight again because of the 1989 murder case? | World News

“There is no doubt that Erik and Lyle Menendez committed the murders,” Gascón said in a news conference. But his office is now tasked with examining whether recent developments, including a letter from Erik Menendez alleging sexual abuse by his father, warrant a review of the brothers' convictions.

The Menendez brothers, now in their 50s, have always maintained that they killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in self-defense after years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. At the time of her sentencing, prosecutors successfully argued that the murders were motivated by a desire to inherit her parents' multimillion-dollar estate, rather than fear for her life.

Also read | Menendez Brothers documentary filmmakers react to case updates after Kim Kardashian pleads for 'freedom'

However, the brothers' defense lawyers argue that changing societal views on sexual abuse could have significantly changed the outcome of the trial. Attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented the Menendez brothers for years, said that in today's context the case could have resulted in a manslaughter charge rather than first-degree murder.

The new evidence includes a letter from Erik Menendez, written before the murders, describing the sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of his father. The lawyers claim that this letter, in addition to a better understanding of trauma and abuse, supports the brothers' claim that they are trapped in a cycle of fear and violence.

What is the case of the Menendez brothers?

The Menendez brothers murder case involves two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989. That night, the two brothers shot their parents as they sat in their living room. The scene was brutal and the parents died instantly. First, Lyle and Erik called 911 and pretended they had found their parents dead, claiming it was a burglary or robbery.

For months, the police had no suspicion of the brothers because they seemed like grieving sons. But eventually the police became suspicious because of their overspending and the contradictions in their stories. Erik finally confessed to the murders during a session with his therapist. The therapist told his lover about the confession and she eventually went to the police. This led to her arrest in 1990.

During the trial, the brothers admitted killing their parents but claimed it was in self-defense. They said their father, Jose, had been physically and sexually abusive for years and they feared for their lives. They argued that her mother, Kitty, was also abusive and did nothing to stop the father's actions.

The case went through two trials. The first case ended in a jury verdict because some jurors believed the brothers were telling the truth about the abuse. However, in the second trial they were found guilty of first-degree murder. Both Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Back in the spotlight

The case, which captivated the nation in the 1990s, was brought back into the spotlight with the release of the Netflix drama series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” While the series delves into the crime and trial, Erik Menendez recently criticized the portrayal, calling it “dishonest” and painful to relive. In a statement shared by his wife on social media, he said the original trial was marked by societal prejudices against male victims of sexual abuse.

The highly public nature of the Menendez brothers' first trial marked one of the first cases in which a courtroom drama was broadcast on national television. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, a criminal justice reform advocate, also spoke out, writing in an essay for NBC News that intense media attention had distorted public perception of the case. According to Kardashian, the brothers were unfairly portrayed as “arrogant rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed” without regard to their abuse allegations.

The brothers, who have spent more than three decades behind bars, have been described as model prisoners. Lyle Menendez recently earned a degree in sociology from the University of California, Irvine through a prison training program.