Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Erik and Lyle Menendez could be resentenced by a judge and released from prison following a ‘recommendation for resentencing’.
After Monsters, a Netflix true crime-inspired TV show, was released last year, public interest was renewed in the case of the Menendez brothers, whose story was explored in the second season of Ryan Murphy’s wildly successful series.
For those who don’t know, the brothers were found guilty in the 1989 murders of their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez and were sentenced to life in prison after two lengthy trials.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were charged with the murder of their parents (Ronald L. Soble / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
But after potential new evidence was brought to light, which allegedly supports the allegations of abuse the brothers claimed to have been subjected to by their parents , new calls for their sentencing to be reconsidered has been made.
Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, are serving life in prison without possibility of parole in California.
However, a letter written by Erik in December 1988, which was addressed to his cousin, was found to have detailed the alleged abuse Erik experienced by his father months before the murders took place.
The letter reads: “I’ve been trying to avoid dad. It’s still happening Andy but it’s worse for me now. I never know when it’s going to happen and its driving me crazy. Every night I stay up thinking he might come in.”
The pair has received immense support from several family members, who corroborate strange happenings within the home before the shooting, throughout their incarceration. Additionally, viewers of the controversial Netflix drama and subsequent documentary film have flocked to defend the convicted killers, and ask for a resentencing in light of this new evidence, which could see the brothers immediately released.

A recommendation to resentence the pair could see them released (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)
But it could also mean that they could be resentenced to a lesser sentence, or no change could be made.
While the appeal was supposed to take place on January 30 and 31, it has been rescheduled to March 20 and 21 because of the Los Angeles wildfires, which have been causing mayhem and tragedy in the area.
At the last court hearing, Joan VanderMolen, the sister of Kitty, told the court that no child should suffer what Erik and Lyle did ‘at the hands of their father’ and said: “I love Erik and Lyle and I want them to come home.”
Terry Baralt, a sister of Jose, said: “Thirty-five years is a long time, I think it is time for them to go home.”
According to the plea to resentence the brothers, all family members except for Milton Andersen, Kitty’s brother, supported the petition.
After the release of Ryan Murphy’s TV show, Erik hit back at the portrayal of Lyle in particular, as well as detailing several inaccuracies which he felt was being shown on screen.
To this, Murphy responded in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and commented: “Ian [Brennan, co-creator] and I set out to do exactly what we wanted to do. And I’ll tell you my thoughts about the Menendez brothers. The Menendez brothers should be sending me flowers.”
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Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Ted Soqui for both
Topics: Crime, Menendez Brothers, News, US News, True crime

Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing
Erik and Lyle Menendez are set to have a court hearing after potential new evidence related to their case was obtained by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
In 1996, the brothers were sentenced to life in prison for murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989.
The brothers were initially tried separately, however the juries reached a deadlock consequently resulting in mistrials. They were then tried together for the second round where they were ultimately convicted of the murder of their parents and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The brothers were convicted of first degree murder in 1996 (Los Angeles Times/Contributor via Getty Images)
During the trials, the brothers alleged that they were emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by their parents – particularly their father – and that they committed the murders out of fear for their lives.
28 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents, a new court hearing has been set for Erik and Lyle for November 29, with potential new evidence regarding the alleged sexual abuse they experienced by their father coming to light.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday, sharing: “We have been given evidence.
“We have been given a photocopy of a letter that allegedly was sent by one of the brothers to another family member talking about him being the victim of molestation.”

The new court hearing could lead to a retrial or resentencing (VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’ve also got evidence that was provided by the defense, by his lawyers, that one of the members of the Menudo band alleged that he was molested by the father,” Gascón continued, seemingly referring to Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Menudo boy band who alleged that he was drugged and raped by Jose Menendez in the 1980s when he was a teenager.
The hearing could lead to a retrial or resentencing for Erik and Lyle, however Gascón said no decision has been made yet.
“None of this information has been confirmed,” he said.
“We are not at this point ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information.

The Los Angeles DA office says they’ve received new evidence (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)
“But we’re here to tell you is that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us and make a determination based on a resentencing side, whether they deserve to be resentenced — even though they were clearly the murderers — because they have been in prison for years and they have paid back their dues to society.
“If there was evidence that was not presented to the court at that time, and had that evidence been presented, perhaps a jury would have come to a different conclusion.”
The Menendez brothers’ case has found a resurgence in popularity over the past few weeks thanks to Netflix‘s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story bringing it back into the zeitgeist.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
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Featured Image Credit: VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images / Los Angeles Times/Contributor via Getty Images
Topics: Menendez Brothers, Crime, True crime

The creator of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has revealed the one condition which would lead him to make further episodes.
Recent weeks have seen the Netflix series proving popular but controversial online as viewers had very different reactions to the story.
But while creator Ryan Murphy doesn’t have plans for a second season of the show, he may not have finished with the story entirely.
The story itself follows a crime which captivated the US in the 1990s, where two brothers killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.
The Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, were ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In their trial the two brothers claimed that they had suffered years of abuse at the hands of their parents.
They cited this as their reason for wanting to kill them.
However, prosecutors argued that the brothers had shot their parents dead to get hold of the family fortune.

Ryan Murphy opened up about continuing the series (Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty Images)
With Lyle and Erik in jail the matter was seemingly settle, but now, it has been revealed that a court hearing has been set for them.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is considering new evidence surrounding the claims of abuse by the brothers’ father.
And Murphy has suggested that he may be willing to go ahead with a further instalment of the series, on one condition.
That is that Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch reprise their roles playing Lyle and Erik respectively.
He told Variety: “I think what I would be interested in doing, if Nicholas [Alexander Chavez] and Cooper [Koch] would agree to do it, is maybe one or two episodes that continue the story.”
While the new hearing could potentially lead to questions being asked about the original trial, no decisions have yet been made about it.

The Netflix show has been very controversial (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
The case came back into the public eye after the release of the Netflix crime drama last month.
Kim Kardashian also published an essay in which she called for the brothers’ release.
While Murphy previously said that he didn’t want to be a ‘part of that machine’ regrading justice, he has now become an unexpected advocate for the brothers.
He explained to Variety: “We gave them their moment in the court of public opinion. Basically, we did give them a platform.
“I think they can be out of prison by Christmas. I really believe that.”
Murphy also spoke about his feelings around dealing with issues and stories which are still active, saying: “It’s dangerous, yet exhilarating, to tackle things that are current.”
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Featured Image Credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images/MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Film and TV, US News, Netflix, True crime, Menendez Brother

The crimes of Lyle and Erik Menendez are in the spotlight again 30 years on thanks to Netflix’s new series, with viewers left wondering about the apparent prison escape plan featured on the show.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dropped on Netflix last week, the second season of the true-crime TV series that brought us Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story two years ago.
Ever since, viewers have questions over the real-life story of the brothers’ crimes.
Lyle and Erik were convicted of murdering their mom and dad while at their family home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, back in 1989.
45-year-old José, and his 47-year-old wife Kitty Menendez were sat watching TV when their sons brutally murdered them with shotguns.
The new Netflix series focuses on the shocking story, though as is the case with a lot of TV series that tell real-life events, events are dramatised for entertainment purposes.
Episode three sees Lyle and Erik arrested and put into prison for their crimes, with viewers seeing Lyle write a letter to his brother detailing a potential prison escape plan.

The Netflix series launched recently (Miles Crist/Netflix)
Indeed, in real life, during the second trial into the murder, prosecutors presented notes allegedly found in the brothers’ cells.
Law enforcement apparently found multiple pages of notes, which saw discussion around moving continent taking place – although at the time, the prosecution wasn’t allowed to outright label them as ‘escape plans’ in front of jurors.
The notes also included diagrams of an unidentified building
It was revealed in court that notes passed between the brothers in prison detailed ideas like: “Change name. Change appearance. Plastic surgeon. Need silencer. Need finances.”

Erik Menendez (L) and Lyle (R) during a pre-trial hearing in 1992 ( VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite these notes being shown in court, the judge could not determine whether they had anything to do with an actual escape plan.
While Netflix fans are for the most part enjoying the new series, Erik has released a statement via his wife Tammi Saccoman slamming the show.
It read in part: “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show.
“I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy [director’ cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.
“It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward.”
LADbible Group reached out to Netflix for comment.
Featured Image Credit: MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images/Netflix
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, True crime, Menendez Brothers
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The director of the new hit Neflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Story has responded to claims from one of the brothers that the show is ‘dishonest’.
Ryan Murphy, the creator behind the series that brought us Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story two years ago, has addressed criticism he received from Erik Menendez – one of the two brothers the show revolves around.
The true crime series focused on Erik and Lyle Menendez who were convicted of murdering 45-year-old José, and his 47-year-old wife Kitty Menendez, their mom and dad, while at their family home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, back in 1989.
On Friday (September 20), 53-year-old Erik, who is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, released a statement about the series via his wife Tammi Saccoman – who he married in the waiting room at Folsom State Prison back in 1999.
It read in part: “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show.
“I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.

Lyle and Erik Menendez during a court appearance in 1992 (MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“It is sad for me to know that Netflix‘s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward.”
Now, Murphy has bitten back as he spoke to Entertainment Tonight.
The Hollywood director said: “I think it’s interesting that he’s issued a statement without having seen the show. I know he hasn’t seen it in prison — I hope he does.
“I would say 60 to 65 percent of our show centers around the abuse and what they claim happened to them.”
When speaking of the incest scene depicting the Menendez brothers making out, he added: “What the show is doing is presenting the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case […] The show presents over 10 points of view of different events.

Ryan Murphy grips a Golden Globe for the Carol Burnett Award, and Evan Peters, holds his for the Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film award, which they both received Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Will Murphy win one again? (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
“So when people see that, that is somebody in our show having a narrative statement about ‘this is what I believe really happened’, and we had an obligation to show all of that.”
Both Menendez brothers are serving life behind bars for their wicked crimes, after they stormed into the living room where their mom and dad were watching TV and unloaded more than a dozens shotgun rounds into them.
During their trial they claimed that they the reason they did it was due to them being subject to years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.
However, prosecutors alleged that their motive was money related – with their dad having an estate worth around $14.5 million, according to Forbes.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix / MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Netflix, Ryan Murphy, True crime, Menendez Brothers