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Erik And Lyle MenendezThe murder case was once again put in the spotlight Ryan Murphy‘S Monsters – and now there’s a chance their lives without parole could be shortened.
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 José had been shot six times and Kitty ten times. Lyle and Erik were initially not persons of interest, but were arrested a year later after their therapist recorded sessions in which they confessed to the murders.
During their high-profile trial, the brothers accused their parents, José and Kitty, of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Erik and Lyle were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.
Episodes of Law & Order, The New Prince of Bel-Air And The sopranos mentioned the case in the 1990s. The Menéndez brothers were also referenced several times in the FX drama The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016, produced by Murphy director. (Besides MonstersMurphy is also involved with the American Story franchise.)
On 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 on the case for season 2 of Monsterswho played a leading role Nicholas Chavez And Kuiper Koch as Lyle and Erik respectively. After the limited series made headlines, support for the Menéndez brothers resurfaced as they attempted to appeal their sentences.
The Los Angeles district attorney’s office recommended reducing Erik and Lyle’s sentences in October 2024 due to new evidence suggesting their father abused them.
Keep scrolling for a look at their appeal efforts over the years:
What were Erik and Lyle’s original sentences?
Lyle and Erik were arrested in 1990 on two counts each of first-degree murder. Three years later, the brothers were tried separately, alleging that years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse had caused them to gun down their father and mother.
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 – now tried together – were ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder. Jurors debated between life without parole or the death penalty before choosing the former in 1996.
After initially serving time in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were transferred after their conviction. Lyle was taken to Mule Creek State Prison, while Erik was moved from Folsom State Prison to Pleasant Valley State Prison.
They reunited in 2018 when they were moved into the same housing unit at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. That was their first reunion since they began serving their sentences nearly 20 years ago.
Ramey Photo/Mega Agency; Miles Crist/Netflix Ryan Murphy’s Monsters was criticized for a host of inaccuracies surrounding Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez’s murder case — but what did the show actually get right? Season 2 of the hit Netflix series, which released on September 19, featured a star-studded cast including Nicholas Chavez, Cooper Koch, Javier […]
How many appeal attempts have there been?
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, but they were denied. They filed the same petitions in the United States District Court, but it was dismissed in 2003.
Erik and Lyle’s defense team decided to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which led to another denial in 2005.
What inspired the latest request for a new trial?
In 2023, Peacock released a docuseries titled Menéndez + Menudo: Boys betrayedtrue singer Roy Rossello claimed he was drugged and raped as a teenager by Erik and Lyle’s father, José. The former Menudo band member’s allegations were included in a petition filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The court documents requested a new trial, citing new evidence in the case such as Rosselló’s allegations against José and a newly discovered letter Erik wrote to his cousin. Andy Canoe detailing his father’s alleged sexual abuse months before the murders.
“No one had looked at it [the cousin’s personal] securities until 2015, and then it was found, 10 years after our last appeal,” Erik and Lyle’s post-conviction attorney Mark Geragos said in a statement to People in September 2024. “We say the second trial did not comply with constitutional protections for several reasons. And a Habeas [Corpus petition] has new evidence. New evidence is needed because this case has been dying for almost 17 years.”
Geragos broke down the three possible 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 issue an order for the prosecutor to respond informally, which they have done very seriously over the last fifteen months.” because we have presented them with evidence,” he continued. “[We provided statements from 24 family members who] have all asked that they be re-sentenced, and have been presented with a number of other documents and evidence for them to look at and consider as they make their decision.”
Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story worked hard to ensure the cast looked like their real-life counterparts. The 10-episode limited series, set to release on September 19, follows Lyle and Erik Menéndez, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. The siblings confessed to the crime and claimed they murdered […]
What is the current update to the new trial request?
Erik (L) and Lyle (R) Menendez
KIM KULISH/AFP via Getty ImagesA spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released a statement on how the office is “investigating the claims made in the petition.”
“The matter is pending the filing of an informal response, which is currently due on September 26, 2024,” the district attorney’s office shared. People.
That same month, Netflix announced that Lyle and Erik had been interviewed for The Menéndez brothers documentary. The special, which will be released in October 2024, contains images of conversations with jurors Betty OldfieldKitty’s sister Joan Vander Molen and public 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 there is still so much that has not been told. … So we weren’t the ones telling the story of our lives. Two kids don’t commit this crime for money.”
Erik and Lyle were granted a new hearing for their case a month later after the Los Angeles district attorney’s office cited new evidence showing their father had abused them. The Los Angeles district attorney’s office recommended reducing Erik and Lyle’s sentences in October 2024.