Eric Menendez and Lyle Menendez appeared before a judge on Monday, making their first public appearance in nearly 30 years and potentially a key step toward their eventual freedom. There is.
The brothers are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, but new evidence suggests the shotgun killings of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989 followed horrific sexual abuse by their father. A status hearing is scheduled to consider.
The high-profile murderers are scheduled to appear before Judge Michael Jessick at 1:30 p.m. ET. The judge has not yet decided whether they will appear in court in person or from jail.
Before losing the recent election, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón recommended that the brothers' sentences be reduced to 50 years to life, given the length of time they had already served. He will be eligible for parole.
The brothers' lawyers also plan to ask the court to reduce their sentences from first-degree murder to manslaughter, a crime for which they are already serving three times the maximum sentence.
It will be difficult to secure seats to attend public hearings. The Los Angeles County Superior Court announced that it will hold a public lottery to determine who will win one of the 16 seats set aside for the public during the hearing.
The brothers last appeared in court in 1996 during their second trial in the 1989 shooting deaths of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills mansion.
Eric, then 18, and Lyle, then 21, are accused of buying shotguns and firing several shots at Jose and Kitty Menendez as they watched television that evening.
The Menendez brothers' first trial, which made them famous, ended in a deadlock with the jury deadlocked. However, he was found guilty at a retrial and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Before the brothers were indicted for the double murder, they used their $14 million inheritance to go on a shopping spree, buying luxury vacations, sports cars, and Rolex watches.
In court, the pair admitted to the killing, but claimed it was in self-defense against a lifetime of abuse, including sexual abuse, at the hands of their father.
The brothers' lawyers are presenting new evidence, including claims by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, that he was raped by the brothers' father, Jose, a wealthy music executive.
They are also seeking a letter Eric wrote to his cousin eight months before the murder detailing his father's alleged abuse.
A recent Netflix documentary about the case has brought renewed attention to the brothers' plight, with supporters gathering outside the courthouse to support their families in seeking their release.
Mark Geragos, the Menendez brothers' attorney, is also asking Gov. Gavin Newsom for clemency, asking for near-immediate release.
But Newsom delayed the pardon decision until newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman could review the case.
A recidivism hearing for Eric and Lyle is scheduled for December 11th.
