Los Angeles' notorious Menendez brothers inched closer to freedom despite being sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shotgun murders of their parents in 1989, with more than a dozen family members on Wednesday. gathered in front of the city's Justice Hall and called on District Attorney George Gascón: They are seeking resentencing so they can be released by the end of the year.
The brothers' defense attorneys, Mark Geragos and Cliff Gardner, and celebrity Rosie O'Donnell, who works with her brother Lyle Menendez, who remains incarcerated, were also scheduled to speak at the 4 p.m. rally.
As a result of a miscarriage of justice, the brothers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Resentencing under California's new law could be controversial because the district attorney overseeing their cases will be up for re-election within a month.
Menendez brothers 'deserve a break,' says former mob boss who spent months together in prison
An undated photo of the Menendez family appears on a screen during a panel meeting at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville on June 2. Brothers Lyle and Eric were convicted of shooting their parents to death in 1989. (Michael Lewis/Fox News Digital)
But the brothers' lawyers argue they should have been convicted of manslaughter rather than murder. If they had, they would have already been released from prison.
They filed an appeal earlier this year under a new law that gives district attorneys the power to make resentencing recommendations.
Eric “Lyle” Menendez, son of former RCA Records executive Jose Menendez and his wife Mary “Kitty” Menendez, murdered his parents in a shotgun massacre at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, and in the 1990s. He has been in prison since.
Lyle Menendez, who shot and killed his parents with his brother, plans life after prison
Eric Menendez (center) and his brother Lyle (left). On August 12, 1991, he was photographed in Beverly Hills on suspicion of murdering his parents Jose Luise and Mary Louise Menendez. (Mike Nelson/AFP via Getty Images)
According to authorities, they accused the father of sexual abuse and fired so many shots that he had to return to the car and reload before firing, resulting in the mother being injured and trying to flee. It is said that he died.
Lyle Menendez, who shot and killed his parents with his brother, plans life after prison amid new plea
The scene was so gruesome that one of the crime scene investigators in the case previously told Fox News Digital that detectives held umbrellas over their heads to keep out the dripping blood and guts.
“At the end of the day, it's one thing,” former Beverly Hills forensic expert Clark Fogg said earlier this month. “The reason they're in prison is because they brutally murdered their mother and father, not because they poisoned them, but because they killed them with shotguns so hard that they splattered on the ceiling.”
Get real-time updates directly true crime hub
The Menendez brothers (Eric, left, and Lyle) stand on the steps of their Beverly Hills home in November 1989. (Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times)
The Menendez Brothers: Monsters or Misunderstandings?
At the heart of their appeal is a letter made public earlier this year that Eric Menendez wrote to his cousin Andy Cano, allegedly written months before the murders. It contained evidence that their father had been sexually abusing the sender at the time he killed them.
Cano testified at trial that she was told about the abuse by her cousin when she was just 13 years old, but prosecutors downplayed the allegations of sexual abuse and said her brothers wanted to live a life of luxury with their inherited money. He later listed everything he had purchased. The killings included a Porsche, a Rolex watch, and a restaurant.
The photo shows a letter Eric Menendez allegedly wrote and sent to his cousin Andy Cano eight months before the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez. (Los Angeles County Superior Court of California)
Follow the FOX True Crime Team at X
Kano's mother discovered the letter in 2015, but Kano died in 2003.
Gascón has indicated for several months that he might accept a reduced sentence.
Menendez Brothers' lawyer speaks about their case during appeal: 'Everything you think you know… you don't know'
Barring any aggravating factors, they could be immediately eligible for parole.
Sign up to get it true crime newsletter
More than a dozen relatives of the brothers and the slain parents also support their release.
Archival photos show Lyle and Eric Menendez wearing prison jumpsuits during their murder trial in Los Angeles. (Ted Soki/Sigma via Getty Images)
Both Menendez brothers are now in their 50s.
They were 21 and 18 years old at the time of the murder.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
FOX News' Audrey Conklin, Molly Markowitz and Luis Casiano contributed to this report.
