L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón is set to announce his decision on whether he’ll recommend Erik and Lyle Menendez walk free out of prison, and we’re live streaming it here.
Gascón could go one of 2 ways — either ask a judge to resentence the brothers to time served, or ask the judge to set aside the murder conviction and impose a voluntary manslaughter conviction.
The max in California for voluntary manslaughter is 11 years, and the brothers have served nearly 35 years — so, if the judge goes that route, they’d be released.
Thursday’s news conference comes after Gascón announced earlier this month he was reevaluating the case after new evidence was presented — a letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy Cano months before the murders, in which he says his father José was still molesting him.
The case also received another look after Roy Rosselló — a former member of the band Menudo — claimed José had sexually abused him.
Rosselló’s claims line up with what Erik and Lyle said about their father during the first trial. That trial ended in a hung jury, and a judge prohibited them from presenting the claims in their retrial.
NBC
4/18/23
In 1996, both brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents.
Currently, the brothers’ next court date is November 26 … just 2 days before Thanksgiving — which their family says they hope the duo can attend.
CNN
More than 20 members of their family — from both their mother’s and father’s sides — appeared at a press conference just last week advocating for their release.
On the other hand, a reporter who covered the first trial told TMZ he thinks the brothers should remain in prison for life.
Multiple celebrities — like Rosie O’Donnell, Kim Kardashian, and the actor who played Erik in the Netflix series ‘Monsters,’ Cooper Koch — have also advocated for their release recently.
