Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Thursday he will seek resentencing for Lyle and Erik Menendez in their parents’ murders, paving the way for their potential release from prison after decades.
Gascón filed a motion later Thursday asking that they be resentenced to 50 years to life. Currently, the brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A Superior Court judge will make the ultimate decision.
Gascón said because the men were younger than 26 when they killed their parents, they would be eligible for parole immediately if a judge follows his resentencing recommendation.
No hearing date had been set as of Thursday night.
The brothers fatally shot their parents, entertainment company executive José Menendez and Kitty Menendez, with shotguns in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers were 21 and 18 years old at the time.
Defense attorneys for the brothers argued they were sexually abused by their father, and, after two trials, they were convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Gascón said his recommendation Thursday for resentencing was not universally backed.
“There are people in the office that strongly believe that the Menendez brothers should stay in prison the rest of their life, and they do not believe that they were molested,” Gascón said.
“And there are people in the office that strongly believe that they should be released immediately and that there were in fact molested.”
He added,…
