'They have paid their debt to society': LA district attorney calls for resentencing of Menendez brothers

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón will ask a judge Friday to resentence convicted murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez, potentially giving the two a chance at release after nearly 35 years behind bars.

“After very careful consideration of all the arguments that have been made for people on both sides of this equation, I have come to a point where I believe that resentencing is appropriate under the law,” Gascón said in a news conference Thursday.

The Menendezes murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. They were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996. Erik and Lyle Menendez deny that they were driven to kill their parents after years of abuse by Jose and that evidence of that abuse was kept secret during their trial.

Earlier this month, Gascón's office announced plans to review new evidence that the brothers' lawyers argued supported their allegations of long-term abuse.

“We will recommend to the court to abolish the life sentence without the possibility of parole,” Gascón said Thursday. “Because they were under 26 at the time of these crimes, they would be eligible for immediate parole under the law.”

The case of Erik and Lyle Menendez came into the public eye again earlier this year when Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story premiered on Netflix. Despite bringing renewed attention to their case, the brothers (and fans alike) were unhappy with “Netflix's dishonest portrayal” of them.

“Isn’t the truth enough?” Erik Menendez wrote in a September Facebook post. “How demoralizing to know that a man with power can reverse decades of progress in understanding childhood trauma.”