A Los Angeles judge delayed a resentencing hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez—two brothers who were convicted of killing their parents in the 1990s—from early December until the end of January, meaning the brothers will remain in prison at least through the new year, as the decades-old case draws fresh scrutiny and calls for their release.
The Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing was pushed from Dec. 11 to Jan. 30, 2025.
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Key Takeaways
- The decision to delay the hearing from Dec. 11 until Jan. 30, 2025, was made at least in part so that the new district attorney is able to “go through the documents and have a say,” Judge Michael Jesic said Monday, The New York Times reported.
- Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón recommended the brothers be resentenced and released in October, but some thought it was a political move and Gascón was voted out of office earlier this month.
- Gascón lost to Nathan Hochman, an independent candidate who focused his campaign on voter concerns around homelessness and crime, but Hochman has not made his stance on the Menendez brothers public.
- Hochman recently said he wants to do the work himself, review as much information about the case and the brothers as he can and will determine whether or not to ask a judge for resentencing.
- The brothers received life sentences without the possibility of parole after they were convicted of killing their parents, though the pair argued they killed their parents after years of abuse from their father.
Key Background
The Menendez brothers were arrested on suspicion of murdering their parents in 1990 and faced trial separately in 1993. Their attorneys argued they faced sexual abuse and killed their parents to put an end to it, while prosecutors said the killings were premeditated and the brothers wanted their parents’ money.
The first trials ended in mistrials after the juries deadlocked, and the brothers were retried in 1995 together—though much of the evidence about sexual abuse was not included. The second jury found them guilty of first-degree murder and they were sentenced to life in prison without parole. A recent Netflix series from Ryan Murphy, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” put the case back into the spotlight this year. Murphy said the show was the “best thing to happen to the Menendez brothers in 30 years,” though Erik Menendez said on X Murphy had “bad intent” and the show had “vile and appalling character portrayals of Lile and of me.”
Despite his complaints, the review of their case—and Garcón’s subsequent recommendation for their resentencing—came after the show’s success.
Surprising Fact
“Monsters” was the most-watched series on Netflix for two weeks, was in the Global Top 10 for seven weeks and reached the Top 10 TV show list in 89 countries.
Tangent
The brothers tried another route to get out of prison and requested clemency from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, but Newsom’s office said last week that he “respects the role of the district attorney in ensuring justice is served and recognizes that voters have entrusted District Attorney-elect Hochman to carry out this responsibility.” Newsom’s office said he would “defer to the DA-elect’s review and analysis of the Menendez case prior to making any clemency decisions.”
