Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.
() The hearing to decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a chance at freedom is slated to begin Tuesday, following months of delays and pushback from Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
The resentencing hearing is expected to last two days. If an LA judge shortens the brothers’ sentences, they must then secure approval from the state’s parole board to leave prison.
The brothers have served nearly 30 years in prison for the 1989 fatal shootings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.
Sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at 18 and 21, the case was reopened in October 2024 when then-District Attorney George Gascón announced his office would reexamine the case in light of new evidence.
That evidence included a letter alleging sexual abuse purportedly written by Erik Menendez months before the shooting.
But Hochman, who beat out Gascón in November’s election, has tried and failed twice to withdraw the resentencing petition and maintains the brothers haven’t yet accepted responsibility for the crimes.
His office has also said it does not believe the brothers were sexually abused by their father.
Family members and fans of the Netflix show “Monsters” have refuted Hochman’s claims and led the push for resentencing.
In March, the brothers’ cousin Tamara Goodell told a rally of resentencing supporters that “kids lie when they’re scared, when they feel intimidated, and when they become traumatized.”
“But they grow up, they learn, and they take responsibility,” Goodell said.
The judge’s decision could come in the form of a written ruling or from the bench this week.
