Lyle Menendez, left, confers with brother Erik during a court appearance in 1991. (Kevork Djansenzian / Associated Press)
LOS ANGELES, CA (WSAU) – The Menendez brothers are set to return to court for the first time in almost three decades as they look to convince a judge to downgrade their sentence and allow them to walk free.
According to the New York Post, during their Monday status hearing, Eric and Lyle Menendez, who are currently incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole, will be asking Judge Michael Jesic to assess new evidence that their father’s alleged sexual abuse of them caused the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills home.
Whether they will appear in person or virtually from prison has not yet been decided by Judge Jesic. Additionally, the attorneys for the brothers will request that their sentences be reduced from first-degree murder to manslaughter, which would overturn their sentence of 50 years to life in the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego, California.
According to new testimony, including claims made by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, that he was raped by the brothers’ father, Jose, while he was a music executive at RCA Records, the Menendez brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos, has also asked California Governor Gavin Newsom for clemency, which would allow them to leave prison almost immediately. Gov. Newsom delayed their request until recently elected LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman could review their case and make a recommendation.
A Netflix documentary “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” ranked first on Netflix’s Global Top 10 films (English) for the week of October 7–13 with 22.7 million views and 44.7 million hours viewed is one of the many media outlets that have covered the high-profile case in recent weeks since former LA District Attorney George Gascón stated that their sentence should be reduced allowing for their immediate release.
The brothers’ appearance in front of the Los Angeles County Superior Court today is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CST, and their resentencing hearing is scheduled for December 11.
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