Lyle and Erik Menendez are one step closer to freedom after a California judge resentenced the brothers to 50 years to life with parole.

During a crowded session at a Los Angeles courthouse on Tuesday, May 14, 2025, Judge Michael Jesic announced he could not determine that the brothers posed “an unreasonable risk,” leaving their release decision to the state parole board. This information was covered by KNBC, an NBC Los Angeles affiliate. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos advocated for the brothers, now in their 50s, to be resentenced according to manslaughter guidelines. The ruling finally makes them eligible for parole, a move supported by ex-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

Nathan Hochman, serving his first term as D.A., contended that the brothers, who gruesomely killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, with shotguns in their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989, showed no remorse. Speaking to KNBC, he stated that the brothers “lied about it” and concealed the truth “for 30 years.” His office’s bid to retract Gascón’s petitions faced rejection previously.

In a release from his office, Hochman stated, “Justice should never be swayed by spectacle.”

According to CNN, Judge Jesic acknowledged the efforts the brothers made to transform their lives while incarcerated, noting their ages during the killings—Lyle Menendez was 21, and Erik Menendez was 18.

The Menendez brothers take accountability for their crimes

The hearing, slated to last two days, wrapped in a single day, during which time Lyle and Erik Menendez took accountability for their crimes.

“I committed an atrocious act against two people who had the right to live — my mom and my dad,” Lyle Menendez, who appeared virtually in the courtroom, said during a lengthy statement, per KNBC. “Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was.”

Erik Menendez followed, admitting, “I fired all five rounds at my parents and went back to reload. I lied to police. I lied to my family. I’m truly sorry.”

In recent years, the Menendez brothers, whose trials and ultimate 1996 convictions captured the public eye, have received an outpouring of public support as attitudes toward domestic violence continue to shift. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have advocated for their release, and several streaming series’ — including Peacock’s Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed — helped the case stay in the spotlight.

A chorus of relatives has also supported the pair, citing physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of the murdered parents.

Menendez brothers’ relatives take the stand

On Tuesday, several defense witnesses took the stand, including two of the Menendez’s cousins, Diane Hernandez and Anamaria Baralt, per KNBC.

“Thirty-five years is enough,” said Baralt. “They are universally forgiven by the family.”

Hernandez, the daughter of Kitty Menendez’s sister Joan Vandermolen, referred to the men’s “dark times” and pleaded with the court to “be merciful.”

Purported evidence recently unearthed, including Erik Menendez’s mention of his father’s alleged sexual abuse in a 1988 letter to a cousin, urged former prosecutors to reexamine the case beginning last year. Still, some viewed Gascón’s interest in the case as an attempt to boost his 2024 electoral campaign, especially since his support came more and a year and a half after the defense filed a habeas corpus petition.

Gascón highlighted the men’s reformed lives behind bars, including initiatives to form support groups for others and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to go toward prison projects, according to CNN.

Former inmate Anerae Brown, nicknamed “X-Raided,” gave supporting testimony on Tuesday, claiming Lyle and Erik Menendez’s guidance helped his decision to leave a gang and stop “doing stupid things,” according to the NBC affiliate.

On the other hand, Hochman pointed to the preliminary reports of risk assessments previously ordered by California Governor Gavin Newsom. The D.A. said the sealed reports detailed the defendants’ alleged cell phone smuggling and left them “moderately more likely” to commit a violent offense if released, KNBC reported.