Could the Menendez brothers be released from prison after monsters?

Eric And Lyle MenendezThe murder case was brought back into the spotlight Ryan Murphy‘S Monster – but is there a chance that her life without parole sentence could be revoked?

The Menéndez brothers’ parents, Jose And Kitty Menendezwere found dead in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. After Lyle called the police, they learned that José had been shot six times and Kitty had been shot ten times. Lyle and Erik were not initially people of interest, but were arrested a year later after their therapist recorded sessions in which they confessed to the murders.

During their high-profile trial, the brothers accused their parents José and Kitty of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Erik and Lyle were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Episodes of Law & Order, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air And The sopranos mentioned the case in the 90s. The Menéndez brothers were also mentioned several times in the FX drama The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016, which Murphy was an executive producer. (In addition to MonsterMurphy is also involved in the American Story franchise.)

Related: What do “monsters” do wrong about the Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case?

The Netflix series “Monsters” is facing backlash over the way it portrays Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez – particularly the inaccurate details about the events leading up to their murder case. The limited series, which debuted on September 19th, centers on Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch), who were convicted of the 1989 murder of (…).

In 2017, on the 35th anniversary of José and Kitty’s deaths, NBC released an eight-part special titled Law & Order: True Crime – The Menéndez Murders. Murphy took over the case for season 2 of Monsterwho played the main role Nicholas Chavez And Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik respectively. After the limited series made headlines, support for the Menéndez brothers resurfaced as they continued to try to appeal their verdict.

Keep scrolling for a breakdown of her appeal efforts over the years:

What was Erik and Lyle’s original sentence?

Lyle and Erik were arrested in 1990 on two counts each of first-degree murder. Three years later, the brothers were tried separately on allegations that years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse led them to shoot their mother and father.

The case ended in a mistrial as the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision. A retrial was opened in 1995, but most of the evidence relating to the abuse could not be used as a defence. Erik and Lyle – who now stood trial together – were ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder. Jurors debated between life without parole or the death penalty before choosing the former in 1996.

After initially remaining in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were moved after their conviction. Lyle was transferred to Mule Creek State Prison, while Erik was moved from Folsom State Prison to Pleasant Valley State Prison.

They reunited in 2018 when they were housed in the same housing unit at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. This was their first time seeing each other since their sentence began almost two decades ago.

Related: What “Monsters” actually got right about the Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case

Ramey Photo/Mega Agency; Miles Crist/Netflix Ryan Murphy’s Monsters received backlash for a variety of inaccuracies surrounding the murders of Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez – but what did the series actually do right? Season 2 of the hit Netflix series, released on September 19th, featured a star-studded cast including Nicholas Chavez, Cooper Koch, Javier (…)

How many appeal attempts were there?

The California Court of Appeals upheld the murder convictions of Lyle and Erik in 1998, and the California Supreme Court declined to review the case that same year. Both Menendez brothers filed habeas corpus petitions with the California Supreme Court in 1999, but they were denied. They filed the same motions in U.S. District Court, but they were denied in 2003.

Erik and Lyle’s defense team decided to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which resulted in another rejection in 2005.

What inspired the recent motion to reopen the case?

In 2023, Peacock released a documentary titled Menéndez + Menudo: Betrayed Boyswhere singer Roy Rossello claimed he was drugged and raped as a teenager by Erik and Lyle’s father, José. The former Menudo band member’s allegations were contained in a petition filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The court documents called for a retrial, citing new evidence in the case, such as Rosselló’s allegations against José and a newly discovered letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy Cano describes his father’s alleged sexual abuse months before the murders.

“No one had looked at the cousin’s personal belongings until 2015, and then she was found, 10 years after our last appeal,” Erik and Lyle’s attorney said after the sentencing Mark Geragos said in a statement People in September 2024. “We say that the second trial was not compatible with the protection of the constitution for various reasons. And a habeas petition (corpus petition) has new evidence. New evidence is needed as this case has essentially been dying for almost 17 years.”

Geragos broke down the three possible outcomes of the query.

“The judge can deny it, the judge can order the prosecutor to respond, or the judge can do what he did, which is issue an order for the prosecutor to respond informally, which they have done very seriously over the last 15 months “I gave them evidence,” he continued. “(We presented statements from 24 family members who) have all called for re-sentencing and provided a number of other documents and evidence for them to take a look at and consider in their decision.”

Related: How Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ Cast Compares to the Real Menendez Family

The Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story has worked hard to ensure that the cast resembles their real-life counterparts. The 10-episode limited series, releasing September 19, follows Lyle and Erik Menéndez, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. The siblings confessed to the crime and claimed that they had killed (…).

What is the current update to the reinstatement request?

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released a statement about how the office is “investigating the claims submitted in the petition.”

“The matter is still awaiting the filing of an informal response, which is currently due on September 26, 2024,” the prosecutor’s office said People.

That same month, Netflix announced that Lyle and Erik had been interviewed The Menéndez brothers Documentary. The special, which is scheduled to be released in October 2024, contains recordings of conversations with the juror Betty OldfieldKitty’s sister Joan Vander Molen and prosecutor Pamela Bozanich.

“Everyone asks why we killed our parents,” Lyle said in the trailer, using an audio interview from prison. “Maybe now people can understand the truth.”

Erik added: “What happened that night is very well known, but so much has not been told. … So we weren’t the ones telling the story of our lives. Two children do not commit this crime for money.”