Could the Menendez brothers be released from prison after monsters?

Erik And Lyle MenendezThe murder case was brought back into the spotlight with Ryan MurphyIt is Monsters – but is there a chance their life without parole sentence will be overturned?

The parents of the Menéndez brothers, Jose And Kitty Menendezwere found dead in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. After Lyle called the police, they discovered that Jose had been shot six times and Kitty had been shot 10 times. Lyle and Erik were not initially persons of interest, but were arrested a year later after their therapist recorded sessions in which they confessed to the murders.

During their highly publicized trial, the brothers accused their parents, José and Kitty, of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Erik and Lyle were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in 1996.

Episodes of Law & Order, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air And The Sopranos discussed the case in the 90s. The Menéndez brothers were also referenced several times in the FX series. The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016, produced by Murphy. (In addition to MonstersMurphy is also involved in the American Story franchise.)

Related: What does ‘Monsters’ get wrong about the Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case?

Netflix’s Monsters series is facing backlash over the way it portrays Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez — particularly inaccurate details about the events leading up to their murder case. The limited series, released on September 19, centered on Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch), convicted of the murder of (…)

To mark the 35th anniversary of José and Kitty’s deaths, NBC released an eight-episode special in 2017 titled Law & Order: True Crime – The Menéndez Murders. Murphy took charge of the case for season 2 of Monsterswhich featured Nicolas Chavez And Cooper Koch like Lyle and Erik, respectively. After the limited series made headlines, support for the Menéndez brothers resurfaced amid their continued attempts to appeal their conviction.

Keep scrolling for details of their appeal efforts over the years:

What was Erik and Lyle’s original sentence?

Lyle and Erik were arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder each. Three years later, the brothers were tried separately as they alleged that years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse led them to shoot their mother and father.

The case ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. A new trial began in 1995, but most of the evidence surrounding the abuse could not be used as a defense. Erik and Lyle – who were now on trial together – were ultimately convicted of first-degree murder. Jurors deliberated between life without parole or the death penalty before choosing the former in 1996.

After initially being held in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were transferred after their conviction. Lyle was taken to Mule Creek State Prison while Erik moved from Folsom State Prison to Pleasant Valley State Prison.

They reunited in 2018 when they were moved to the same housing unit at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. It was their first reunion since they began serving their sentences almost two decades ago.

Related: What the ‘monsters’ really understood in the Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case

Ramey Photo/Méga Agence; Miles Crist/Netflix Ryan Murphy’s Monsters has received backlash for a multitude of inaccuracies about the Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez murder case – but what did the series actually get right? Season 2 of the hit Netflix series, released on September 19, featured an all-star cast including Nicholas Chavez, Cooper Koch, Javier (…)

How many appeal attempts have been made?

The California Court of Appeals upheld Lyle and Erik’s murder convictions in 1998, and the California Supreme Court declined to review the case later that same year. Both Menendez brothers filed habeas corpus petitions with the California Supreme Court in 1999, which were denied. They filed the same motions in the United States District Court and it was denied in 2003.

Erik and Lyle’s defense team decided to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, resulting in another denial in 2005.

What prompted the most recent request for a new trial?

In 2023, Peacock released a documentary series called Menéndez + Menudo: Boys Betrayedwhere the singer Roy Rossello alleged that he was drugged and raped as a teenager by Erik and Lyle’s father, José. The former Menudo bandmate’s accusations were included in a motion filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Court documents requested a new trial while citing new evidence in the case such as Rosselló’s allegations against José and a newly discovered letter Erik wrote to his cousin. Andy Cano describing her father’s alleged sexual abuse months before the murders.

“No one had looked at (the cousin’s) belongings until 2015, and that’s when they were found, 10 years after our last call,” Erik and Lyle’s lawyer said after the conviction. Marc Geragos said in a statement to People in September 2024. “We say the second trial did not comply with constitutional protections for a variety of reasons. And a Habeas petition (Corpus petition) contains new evidence. This requires new evidence because this case was basically moribund for almost 17 years.

Geragos detailed the three potential outcomes of the request.

“The judge can deny it, the judge can order the prosecutor to respond, or the judge can do what he did, which is order the prosecutor to respond informally, which is what they took very seriously over the last 15 months because we presented them with evidence,” he continued. “(We provided statements from 24 family members who) all requested that they be resentenced, presented a number of other documents and evidence for them to review and consider before to make a decision.”

Related: How the Cast of Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ Compares to the Real Menendez Family

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story worked hard to make sure the actors looked like their real-life counterparts. The 10-episode limited series, which premieres September 19, follows Lyle and Erik Menéndez, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. The siblings confessed to the crime and claimed to have killed (…)

What is the current update on the request for new trial?

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released a statement explaining how the office was “investigating the allegations submitted in the petition.”

“The case is pending the filing of an informal response, which is currently expected by September 26, 2024,” the prosecutor’s office said. People.

The same month, Netflix announced that Lyle and Erik had been interviewed for The Menéndez brothers documentary. The special, scheduled for release in October 2024, includes footage of conversations with the juror. Betty OldfieldKitty’s sister Joan Vander Molen and prosecutor Pamela Bozanich.

“Everyone asks why we killed our parents,” Lyle said in the trailer using an audio interview from prison. “Maybe now people can understand the truth. »

Erik added: “What happened that night is very well known but not much has been told. … So it’s not us who told the story of our lives. Two children don’t commit this crime for money.