The latter group is rejoicing Tuesday as a judge’s ruling brought them one step closer to getting out.
A judge in California has resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez, paving the way for the brothers to be eligible for parole. The siblings had been serving lengthy prison sentences for the brutal murder of their parents in 1989.
The decision was made by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic following delays and opposition from the county’s new chief prosecutor. During a recent hearing, witnesses testified that Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, had undergone positive transformations and were now described as “different men,” including a statement from their cousin Anamaria Baralt.
BREAKING: Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced on Tuesday to 50 years to life in prison — which will make them eligible for parole at some point.
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Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were living a lavish lifestyle in Beverly Hills, committed the heinous crime of shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at the family’s mansion in 1989. The brothers were initially tried together, leading to hung juries in 1994. They were later convicted in separate trials in 1996 on two counts of first-degree murder each and were given life sentences without the chance of parole.
Luckily for them, their crimes occurred in California, a state that does not seem to understand the phrase “life in prison without the possibility of parole.”
Lyle, who was 21 years old at the time of the slaughter and is now 57, expressed remorse for his crimes:
Jesic said they would be resentenced to 50 years to life, a prison term that will make them eligible for parole. He said he did not believe they posed an “unreasonable risk” if released.
The brothers began giving statements via videolink immediately after the judge’s ruling, with Lyle saying he made no excuses for killing his parents and acknowledging that he made a “mockery of the legal system” after his arrest by seeking to have people perjure themselves on his behalf.
“Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was,” he said.
