DA recommends resentencing of Menendez brothers for 1989 killings of their parents: NPR

Erik (left) and Lyle Menendez talk in a Los Angeles courtroom on February 2, 1995.

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Kim Kulish/AFP via Getty Images

Erik and Lyle Menendez should be retried for the 1989 killings of their parents, the Los Angeles County district attorney recommended Thursday, citing recent publicity on the case as part of a new documentary about the brothers.

The recommendation will be presented to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and the brothers, who are serving life sentences, would be eligible for parole, District Attorney George Gascón said.

“According to the law, resentencing is appropriate,” Gascón said, making it clear that he still believes the crime of murder was committed, but that there were extenuating circumstances that made resentencing appropriate.

“I understand that sometimes people can be desperate,” Gascón said.

More than 30 years after the couple were convicted in the brutal murders of their parents, the case continues to be the focus of national attention, including a recent Netflix series about the siblings and in-depth insights from social media experts over the years.

On August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot to death in their Beverly Hills home while watching television.

Two jurors deadlocked in 1994 after Lyle and Erik testified that they shot their parents in self-defense. The brothers said they feared their parents would kill them to prevent stories of their sons' alleged abuse from coming to light.

The brothers said Jose, a record executive, was sexually abusive, while Kitty turned a blind eye to their harassment.

After a second trial, the brothers were finally convicted of shooting their parents. The two men were 18 and 21 years old at the time of the murders.