The tale of the notorious Menendez brothers has taken another twist after the pair were resentenced by judges
The deadly duo were the subjects of Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and following the release of the documentary, the team defending the pair asked for resentencing.
Hearings on their case were held on Tuesday (May 14) which saw the pair resentenced to 50 years behind bars.
The change in sentence now means they are both eligible to go before a parole board, who could decide the brothers be freed.
Arguments for their sentence reduction said the pair had served a lengthy time and spoke of the work they had done behind bars, but the prosecution team said the life sentence should stand, arguing the pair still had not taken responsibility for their crimes.
The presiding Judge Michael Jesic said he believed Lyle and Erik Menendez should be eligible for parole, but clairified that he took seriously District Attorney Nathan Hochman's claims that the brothers were not ready to be released today.
During a press conference, their lawyer George Gascon said: “I believe they have paid their debt to society... and the system provides a vehicle for their case to be reviewed by a court of law.”
But what do we know about the Menendez brothers? And what actually happened to the pair? Here is what we know.
Who are Lyle and Erik Menendez?
Lyle and Erik Menendez are brothers who killed their parents by gunning them down on August 20, 1989. Husband and wife José and Kitty Menendez were shot multiple times at close range at their mansion in Beverly Hills.
The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time, initially told police they found their parents dead when they arrived home but a series of events led police to suspect the pair and they were both eventually arrested and tried for the murders.
Is Monsters a true story?
Yes, it is based on real-life events. Netflix creators say the true-crime drama probes the lives of the Menendez brothers and looks at different viewpoints in the series.
How were the brothers caught?
Police originally looked down the lines of mafia involvement because of the brutal nature of the killing, and the fact the family was worth a lot of money.
But officers were left confused by the spending spree the brothers embarked on following the death of their parents.
Lyle bought multiple Rolexes, Erik hired a tennis coach with a price tag of $60,000 per year, and both leased waterfront condominiums in pricey areas. Together, they spent $1m in just half-a-year, it is reported.
Erik ended up confessing to the crimes during a session with his psychologist, Jerome Oziel, who then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Smyth ultimately went to the police with this information, leading to the brothers' arrests.
What happened in the trials?
The brothers claimed they committed the murders in self defence after years of alleged physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. They both claimed their dad sexually abused them from the ages of around six.
They said they feared their father would kill them after they threatened to expose him. But the prosecution argued they wanted to kill their parents in order to inherit their money.
The pair were first tried for the murders individually, with one jury for each brother. However, both juries were deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial, and the pair were later tried again together.
During their second, joint trial, the judge excluded most of the evidence of abuse from their defence case.
A jury found them guilty and the pair were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder in 1996.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Where are the brothers now?
Lyle and Erik were sent to separate facilities initially. After years of Lyle repeatedly requesting a transfer to a prison closer to his brother, he was eventually relocated in 2018 to the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where he and Erik are both serving out their life sentences to this day.
The pair and their families have repeatedly called for a retrial, with their family backing their claims of abuse.
Calls for the brothers' release have mounted since the series gained popularity. While District Attorney George Gascon has recommended that the brothers be made eligible for parole, Kim Kardashian took to her Instagram story to vocalise her support for the brothers recently, however the decision will ultimately be made by the court.
Adversely, Milton Andersen - the brother of the siblings’ murdered mother - has opposed the calls for the brothers’ release, saying that he “firmly believes” that they should never be released.
The court has reduced the sentence from life to 50 years, and now it is expected that a parole application will be made to decide whether they should remain behind bars or be freed.
