A judge has decided the resentencing hearings for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of murdering their parents, can continue despite a new Los Angeles district attorney opposing their release after 30 years behind bars.
The brothers appeared in court over Zoom on Friday for the proceedings.
They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at ages 18 and 21 after being convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
While the defense argued they acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
George Gascón, the progressive former Los Angeles county district attorney, had sought to have the brothers resentenced to 50 years to life, which would have made them immediately eligible for release under California law because they committed the crime when they were younger than 26.
Despite losing re-election to tough-on-crime candidate Nathan Hochman in November, Gascón’s effort has succeeded. Hochman submitted a motion to withdraw Gascón’s request, saying he did not support the brothers’ resentencing because they had not confessed to lies they told as the case unfolded about why they killed their parents and did not “fully recognize, acknowledge and accept complete responsibility” for their crime.
The Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearings are scheduled for 17 and 18 April.
