Lyle and Erik Menendez proceed to serve life sentences in jail for the brutal murders of their mother and father on August 20, 1989. Thirty-five years later, the case of the Menendez brothers has garnered renewed consideration, largely as a consequence of Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, adopted by a Netflix documentary that included beforehand unreleased telephone name recordings between the brothers and director Alejandro Hartmann.
With rising public curiosity within the case and the allegations of sexual abuse that Choose Stanley Weisberg had barred from the trial, the Menendez brothers are seeing a possible path to freedom. In early October 2024, former Los Angeles County District Lawyer George Gascón introduced that his workplace was reviewing the case after the brothers’ attorneys requested prosecutors to suggest a resentencing, which may probably result in their launch. Nonetheless, with the transition to new DA Nathan Hochman, the assessment course of has skilled a slight delay.
As information concerning the Menendez brothers’ case continues to unfold, right here’s a glance again on the brothers on the time of the incident, how outdated they’re now, and extra.
How Outdated Had been Lyle and Erik When They Killed Their Dad and mom?
Lyle and Erik had been 21 and 18 years outdated, respectively, after they shot and killed their mother and father, José and Kitty Menendez, of their household’s Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. The couple was of their 40s on the time of their deaths.
How Outdated Had been the Menendez Brothers When They Had been Sentenced?
In 1996, the Menendez brothers had been discovered responsible of first-degree homicide and sentenced to life in jail with out parole for killing their mother and father. At the moment, Lyle was 28 and Erik was 25.
In February 2025, Erik shared his expertise behind bars throughout an look on TMZ’s podcast, “2 Indignant Males.” Reflecting on his time in jail at round 29 years outdated, he defined, “I used to be picked on, bullied violently, and it was traumatic and it was continuous. These are issues that loads of inmates in jail undergo after they’re not a part of a gang construction they usually are available they usually’re mainly lone wolves, they simply must be by themselves. Jail could be arduous, and there’s loads of struggling in jail…I’m not gonna battle again, I’m not going to have interaction, and I had nobody actually to show to for assist, and I used to be separated from Lyle.”
How Outdated Are the Menendez Brothers Now?
As of 2025, Lyle is 57 years outdated, born on January 10, and Erik is 54, along with his birthday on November 27.
Are the Menendez Brothers Getting a New Sentence?
On November 25, 2024, Lyle and Erik appeared in court docket for the primary time in 28 years to assessment new proof associated to their case. The listening to, scheduled as a standing convention, was not anticipated to result in any fast selections however may influence the subsequent steps of their ongoing efforts to safe their launch.
The listening to was scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. native time, and the brothers had been anticipated to attend through video hyperlink from their jail in San Diego, California. Choose Michael Jesic imposed strict restrictions for the listening to: no cameras will likely be allowed within the courtroom, and all cell telephones should be positioned in sealed baggage.
A resentencing listening to was additionally set for December 11, 2024, giving lawyer Hochman extra time to finish his assessment of the case. California Governor Gavin Newsom additionally introduced he’ll delay making a clemency choice, opting to defer to the newly elected district lawyer. Newsom acknowledged that he “acknowledges voters have entrusted District Lawyer-elect Hochman with this duty” and “will defer to the DA-elect’s assessment and evaluation of the Menendez case earlier than making any clemency selections.”
The December 2024 listening to, nonetheless, was postponed. The Menendez brothers are actually scheduled to return to court docket on March 20, 2025, for a listening to to find out whether or not they need to be resentenced.
Prosecutors have beforehand submitted a suggestion for the brothers’ resentencing, suggesting they obtain a brand new sentence of fifty years to life. Since they had been below 26 years outdated on the time of the crimes, they’d be eligible for parole instantly below a California regulation that went into impact in 2018.
The Menendez brothers beforehand had a court docket listening to set for November 29, 2024, in accordance with Selection, which adopted the invention of proof suggesting that their father, Jose, sexually abused his youngsters.
“We now have been given proof, together with a photocopy of a letter allegedly despatched by one of many brothers to a different member of the family, discussing being the sufferer of molestation,” Gascón shared on the time, per the outlet. He additionally talked about, “We’ve acquired proof offered by the protection, together with claims from a member of the Menudo band who alleged he was molested by the daddy.”
Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band sensation Menudo, spoke out within the 2023 Peacock documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, the place he alleged that he was abused by the music govt when he was 14.
In the event you or anybody you recognize has been sexually abused, name the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A educated employees member will present confidential, judgment-free help in addition to native assets to help in therapeutic, recovering and extra.
In the event you or somebody you recognize is battling substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration (SAMHSA) Nationwide Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
