Lyle and Erik Menendez were joined by nearly two dozen relatives in Los Angeles on Wednesday to ask the attorney recommending that the brothers — who are currently serving time behind bars — be tried.
Supporters who will speak at Wednesday’s press conference include the brothers’ aunt, their cousins and actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, who has visited the siblings in prison.
In August 1989, Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, the parents were shot deadJose and Kitty Menendez, at the family’s Beverly Hills home.
Lyle Menendez with his lawyer Jill Lansing in Los Angeles on March 9, 1994.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images, FILE
Erik Menendez at his trial in Los Angeles, March 9, 1994.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images, FILE
Prosecutors alleged that Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their wealthy parents for financial gain, and the defense argued that the brothers acted in self-defense after being sexually abused by their father.
The brothers’ first trials ended in trials. In 1996, at the end of a second trial — in which the judge barred much of the evidence of sexual abuse — Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive terms without the possibility of parole.
Erik Menendez and his brother Lyle Menendez during their trial on March 9, 1994 in Los Angeles.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images, FILE
Now, the brothers have two paths to possible freedom.
One track depends on Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón seeking a re-sentence, including rehabilitation.
Another clue is new evidence Gascón’s office is evaluating: allegations from a Menudo boy gang member who said Jose Menendez molested him and a letter Erik Menendez wrote to a cousin eight months before the murders detailing the alleged abuse.
In an Oct. 31, 2016, photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Erik Menendez, left, is shown in a Feb. 22, 2018, photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Lyle Menendez.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP, FILE
Erik Menendez’s cousin testified about the alleged abuse at trial, but Erik Menendez’s letter — which would have corroborated his cousin’s testimony — didn’t come out until several years ago, the brothers’ lawyer, Mark Geragos, said.
“Looking at all the circumstances, I don’t think they deserve to be in prison until they die,” Gascon told ABC News.
Gascón has said that he plans to make a decision on his appeal this month. If Gascón recommends a retrial, his recommendation will go to a judge to decide whether the brothers should be released, receive a lesser sentence or receive a new trial.
