The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the US<\/p>\n
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n on Thursday called for the resentencing of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the high-profile 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills. <\/p>\n
\u201cI came to a place where I believe that under the law, resentencing is appropriate,\u201d the prosecutor said. \u201cI am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The official said he would ask for a sentence of 50 years to life. Under the law, given that the brothers were under age 26 at the time of the crimes, they would be immediately eligible for youthful parole, Gasc\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n
The brothers were 18 and 21 when they killed their parents Kitty Menendez and Jos\u00e9 Menendez, a prominent entertainment executive .<\/p>\n
A court will need to approve the resentencing recommendation before it is final. <\/p>\n
The brothers originally argued they should be tried for manslaughter, claiming they killed their parents after a lifetime of sexual abuse from their father, who they said threatened to kill them to keep them quiet. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to underline, they were horrible acts,\u201d Gasc\u00f3n said at the press conference. \u201cThere is no excuse for murder, and I will never imply that what we\u2019re doing here is to excuse that behavior. Even if you get abused, the right path is to call the police, seek help. I understand also how people get desperate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prosecutors originally argued the young men killed their parents in pursuit of their multi-million dollar estate. In the seven months between the killings and their arrest, the brothers spent lavishly, buying a Porsche sports car, $40,000 worth of clothes and a $15,000 Rolex watch.<\/p>\n
The brothers were 18 and 21 in 1989 when they killed their parents, Kitty Menendez and prominent entertainment executive Jos\u00e9 Menendez. (AP1990)After the first trial ended in a hung jury, the Menendez brothers were both convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole in 1996.<\/p>\n
Family members and celebrities have called for the release of the brothers, who they argue would\u2019ve been treated differently in today\u2019s judicial system thanks to a more robust consideration of sexual abuse.<\/p>\n
Interest in the case has surged further in recent months, thanks to two Netflix programs, a documentary and a fictionalized version of the story, Ryan Murphy\u2019s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, as well as the re-release of an update in-depth book on the killings.<\/p>\n
Kitty Menendez’s sister, Joan Andersen VanderMolen, bottom left, and niece Karen VanderMolen, right, sit together during a press conference to announce developments on the case of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, in Los Angeles (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)A 2023 docuseries on Peacock added further shades of grey to the case.<\/p>\n
In Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, Roy Rossell\u00f3, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band sensation Menudo, claims he was drugged and raped by Jos\u00e9 Menendez when he was a teenager.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n on Thursday called for the resentencing of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n