Family members to speak on new push to release Menendez brothers from prison
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers serving life sentences for killing their parents in Beverly Hills more than 35 years ago, are set to speak out as prosecutors review new evidence in the case.
Nearly two dozen relatives will host a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday to put pressure on the district attorney to officially recommend resentencing in the brothers' case.
The brothers' defense attorney Mark Geragos and their family tells ABC News that their biggest wish is for the two to be released from prison and be home in time to celebrate their aunt's 93rd birthday this Thanksgiving.
Earlier this month, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón announced his office would be reviewing new evidence and will make a decision on whether a resentencing is warranted in the notorious case that captured national attention.
The new evidence presented in a petition includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his attorneys say corroborates the allegations that he was sexually abused by his father.
The brothers have said they killed their parents out of self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their attorneys argue that because of society's changing views on sexual abuse, that the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole today.
The brothers' attorneys said the family believed from the beginning they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that ultimately led to the brothers' murder conviction, Geragos said.
Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father Jose Menendez and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989 but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father's long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
Prosecutors at the time contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the sons were after their parents' multimillion-dollar estate.
Jurors rejected a death sentence in favor of life without parole.
The case has gained new attention after Netflix began streaming the true-crime drama "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. "
Gascón said he believes that the topic of sexual assault would have been treated with more sensitivity if the case had happened today.
"We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing information," Gascón said earlier this month.
He said his office did not know the "validity" of what was presented at the trial.
Gascón, who is seeking reelection, noted that more than 300 people have been resentenced during his term, and only four have gone on to commit a crime again.
A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 26.
Lyle Menendez recently earned a sociology degree from the University of California, Irvine, through a prison program. Geragos said they have been model prisoners despite believing they would never be released.
"I think it's time," Geragos said. "The family thinks it's time."
Reality TV star and celebrity personality Kim Kardashian, who has advocated for criminal justice reform, also weighed in, writing in a personal essay shared with NBC News that the outsized media attention on the first trial that was nationally televised denied them justice.
She noted with "their suffering and stories of abuse ridiculed in skits on 'Saturday Night Live'" that they were painted as "two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy."
"Erik and Lyle had no chance of a fair trial against this backdrop," Kardashian wrote.
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.
