The US prosecutor wants parole for the convicted Menendez brothers

The chief prosecutor in Los Angeles will ask the court for a lighter sentence for Lyle and Erik Menendez. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for murdering their parents. The much-discussed issue received additional attention this year due to the miniseries on Netflix: Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez in which Javier Bardem plays one of the main roles. A documentary was also released.

Senior prosecutor George Gascón will ask the judge to commute the life sentence of the two to a 50-year prison sentence. Since the two brothers were under 26 years old when they committed the murders in 1989, they are eligible for immediate parole. The chief prosecutor already announced this at the beginning of this month again to look into the matter.

The case is expected to go to court next month. Lyle and Erik Menendez admitted that they shot their parents. They were 21 and 18 years old respectively at the time of the murder. According to the brothers, they were afraid that their parents were going to kill them. The parents reportedly wanted to prevent people from finding out that José Menendez’s father had sexually abused Erik and Lyle for years.

There is a lack of physical evidence of rape. There is also a recent commentary by Roy Rossello, a former member of the popular boy group Menudo. The brothers’ father was a senior recording executive at RCA Records, to whom the group was under contract. Rossello accuses José Menendez of drugging and raping her several times. A recent petition for their release included Rossello’s story.

Many of the brothers’ family advocated for his release for years. Several family members, like their lawyers, said that there is more understanding today about the effects of sexual abuse and that the brothers would not be convicted today.

At a press conference, the chief prosecutor Gascón said that he is sure that the brothers have “paid their debts.” Gascón is in a re-election battle with former prosecutor Nathan Hochman. He claims that Gascón too often recommends lighter sentences for previously convicted criminals. According to Hochman, Gascón’s announcement less than two weeks before the elections is a “desperate political move”.