Prosecutors will recommend Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced for the 1989 killings of their parents in the family’s Beverly Hills home, providing the brothers with a chance at freedom after 34 years behind bars.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced during a Thursday news conference that his office would recommend the brothers be sentenced to 50 years to life. Because they were under 26 years old at the time of the crimes, they will be eligible for parole immediately, he said.
“I came to a place where I believe, under the law, resentencing is appropriate," Gascón said. Prosecutors will go to court Friday to make the request, but Gascón said some members of his office oppose the decision and may be in court as the case proceeds.
The Menendez brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez. The brothers said they feared their parents were about to kill them to stop people from finding out that Jose Menendez had sexually abused Erik Menendez for years.
What prison are the Menendez brothers in?
Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently being incarcerated at the Richard J Donovan Correction Facility in San Diego, California, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports.
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Have the brothers always been in the same prison?
Erik Menendez has been housed at the Donovan prison, but for more than 20 years Lyle Menendez was incarcerated at the Mule Creek State Prison in lone, California before being moved to the Donovan facility in 2018, according to PEOPLE. lone is located outside Sacramento.
How old were the Menendez brothers at the time of the murders in 1989?
At the times of the murders of their parents, Lyle Menendez was 21 and Erik Menendez was 18 years old.
How old are the Menendez brothers now in 2024?
Lyle Menendez is currently 56 years old and Erik Menendez is now 53 years old.
How long have the Menendez brothers been in prison?
As of Oct. 24, 2024, the Menendez brothers have been in prison for nearly 35 years, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
