Who are Menendez brothers? Why are they back in focus over 1989 murder case?

Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reevaluating the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers serving life sentences for the 1989 murder of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. More than 35 years after the crime, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is reviewing new evidence that could lead to a possible resentencing, DA George Gascón said on Thursday.

“There is no question that Erik and Lyle Menendez committed the murders,” Gascón said in a press conference. However, his office is now tasked with determining whether recent developments, including a letter written by Erik Menendez alleging sexual abuse by his father, warrant a reconsideration of the brothers’ sentencing.

The Menendez brothers, who are now in their 50s, have always maintained that they killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in self-defence after years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. At the time of their conviction, prosecutors successfully argued that the killings were motivated by a desire to inherit their parents’ multi-million-dollar estate, not by fear for their lives.

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The brothers’ defence attorneys, however, argue that changing societal perspectives on sexual abuse could have significantly altered 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 led to manslaughter charges rather than first-degree murder.

The new evidence includes a letter from Erik Menendez, written before the murders, which details the sexual abuse he says he suffered at the hands of his father. The attorneys contend that this letter, alongside a better understanding of trauma and abuse, supports the brothers' claims of being trapped in a cycle of fear and violence.

What's the Menendez brothers' case?

The Menendez brothers' murder case involves two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of killing their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989. On that night, the two brothers shot their parents while they were sitting in their living room. The scene was brutal, and the parents died instantly. At first, Lyle and Erik called 911, pretending they had found their parents dead, claiming it was a break-in or a robbery gone wrong.

For months, police didn’t suspect the brothers as they seemed like grieving sons. However, eventually, the police grew suspicious because of their extravagant spending and the inconsistencies in their stories. Erik eventually confessed to the murders during a session with his therapist. The therapist told his mistress of the confession and she eventually went to the police. This led to their arrest in 1990.

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

The case went through two trials. The first one ended in a hung jury because some jurors believed the brothers were telling the truth about the abuse. In the second trial, however, 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 spotlight

The case, which captivated the nation in the 1990s, has been thrust back into the spotlight by the release of Netflix’s true-crime drama "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." While the show explores the crime and the trial, Erik Menendez recently criticised its portrayal, calling it “dishonest” and painful to relive. In a statement shared by his wife on social media, he said the original trial was shaped by societal biases against male victims of sexual abuse.

The highly publicised nature of the Menendez brothers' first trial was one of the earliest instances of a courtroom drama being broadcast on national television. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, also weighed in, writing in an essay for NBC News that the extensive media attention distorted the public's perception of the case. According to Kardashian, the brothers were unfairly depicted as "arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed," without consideration for their claims of abuse.

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