(Photo
by
Ted
Soqui/Sygma
via
Getty
Images)
There
have
been
countless
documentaries
and
true-crime
TV
series
made
about
the
Menendez
brothers
—
the
infamous
case
concerning
the
brutal
1989
slaying
of
Jose
and
Kitty
Menendez
by
their
sons,
Erik
and
Lyle,
in
their
Beverly
Hills
home.
The
brothers
were
convicted
of
murder
after
a
mistrial
and
have
been
imprisoned
for
decades,
and
a
great
number
of
analysts
and
experts
believe
that
the
Menendez
brothers
should
be
freed
—
even
would-be
lawyer
Kim
Kardashian
has
weighed
in
on
the
issue.
Now,
with
new
light
(and
new
evidence)
being
shined
on
the
case
after
all
these
years,
an
important
question
is
finally
being
asked:
Are
the
Menendez
brothers
truly
victims,
as
opposed
to
the
villains
they’ve
been
portrayed
as?
In
light
of
very
recent
resentencing
efforts,
the
answer
to
that
question
may
be
yes.
Los
Angeles
County
District
Attorney
George
Gascón
is
seeking
resentencing
for
Lyle
and
Erik,
and
filed
a
motion
yesterday
asking
that
the
brothers
be
resentenced
to
50
years
to
life.
They
are
currently
serving
life
sentences
without
the
possibility
of
parole.
Because
they
were
younger
than
26
when
they
killed
their
parents,
Gascón
says
that
if
a
judge
follows
his
resentencing
recommendation,
they
would
be
eligible
for
parole
immediately.
NBC
News
has
additional
details:
Gascón
said
his
recommendation
Thursday
for
resentencing
was
not
universally
backed.“There
are
people
in
the
office
that
strongly
believe
that
the
Menendez
brothers
should
stay
in
prison
the
rest
of
their
life,
and
they
do
not
believe
that
they
were
molested,”
Gascón
said.“And
there
are
people
in
the
office
that
strongly
believe
that
they
should
be
released
immediately
and
that
there
were
in
fact
molested.”He
added,
“I
believe
that
they
have
paid
their
debt
to
society.”
In
his
resentencing
motion,
Gascón
noted
that
the
Menendez
brothers
no
longer
pose
a
public
safety
risk,
writing,
“When
Erik
and
Lyle
Menendez
were
sentenced
to
Life
Without
the
possibility
of
Parole
in
1996
their
sentences
were
aligned
with
what
was
considered
the
best
public
safety
practices.
What
is
considered
best
practices
for
public
safety,
however,
has
evolved.”
The
Menendez
brothers
alleged
innumerable
episodes
of
sexual
abuse
by
their
father
at
their
first
trial,
but
those
allegations
were
limited
at
their
second
trial.
Additional
allegations
of
sexual
abuse
have
also
been
presented
to
prosecutors.
From
NBC
News:
The
evidence
provided
to
Gascón’s
office
included
a
photocopy
of
a
letter
from
one
of
the
brothers
to
another
family
member
that
alleged
sexual
abuse,
Gascón
said.Defense
attorneys
also
provided
evidence
that
one
of
the
members
of
the
Menudo
boy
band
alleged
he
was
sexually
abused
by
José
Menendez,
Gascón
said.Roy
Rosselló,
a
member
of
the
pop
group
from
1983
to
1986,
said
on
the
2023
Peacock
series
“Menendez
+
Menudo:
Boys
Betrayed”
that
he
was
raped
by
José
Menendez,
who
was
then
an
executive
at
RCA.
The
Menendez
brothers
have
been
behind
bars
for
35
years
and
counting.
They
were
tried
at
a
time
when
the
sexual
abuse
of
boys
and
young
men
was
deeply
misunderstood
—
if
Lyla
and
Erika
Menendez
had
killed
their
parents
and
alleged
extended
periods
of
sexual
abuse,
they
would
never
have
been
sentenced
to
life
in
prison.
Times
have
changed,
and
people’s
compassion
for
victims
has
changed
along
with
it.
A
hearing
date
has
not
yet
been
scheduled,
but
Lyle
and
Erik’s
lawyer,
Mark
Geragos,
shared
words
of
hope
for
his
clients,
saying,
“Today
is
a
monumental,
monumental
victory
on
that
path
[toward
their
freedom.]”
DA
wants
Menendez
brothers
resentenced,
which
could
free
them
from
prison
for
parents’
murders
[NBC
News]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on
X/Twitter
and
Threads
or
connect
with
her
on
LinkedIn.