Judge reduces Menendez brothers' murder sentences, putting them a step closer to freedom

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They’re now eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. The state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison.

The brothers appeared via livestream video and spoke for the first time in court before the ruling.

“I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification,” Lyle said in a statement to the court. “The impact of my violent actions on my family ... is unfathomable.”

Erik also spoke about taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing to his family. “You did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better,” he said.

The judge said he had given “long thought” to what sentences the brothers deserved, taking into account all of the arguments.

“I do give them a lot of credit for changing their lives,” Jesic said.

He said he was especially moved by a letter that was submitted by a prison official who wrote in support of the resentencing, something he had never done for any inmate in 25 years.

“I’m not saying they should be released, it’s not for me to decide,” Jesic said. “I do believe they’ve done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get that chance.”

The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.

The case has captured the public's attention for decades — and last year, the Netflix drama " Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story " and documentary "The Menendez Brothers" brought new attention to the case. Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in the past few months.

The defense made their case heard

“Today is a great day after 35 years,” defense attorney Mark Geragos said.

“We have evolved,” Geragos said. “This is not the '90s anymore. We have a more robust understanding of a lot of things.”

The defense began by calling Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, who testified that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions.

“We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,” Baralt said. “They are universally forgiven by our family.”

Another cousin, Tamara Goodell, said she had recently taken her 13-year-old son to meet the brothers in prison, and that they would contribute a lot of good to the world if released.

“They are a real family,” Geragos said. “Real people who have lived through unimaginable horrors. And I’m hopeful and glad that we’re one huge step closer to bringing the boys home.”

Diane Hernandez, who also testified during Erik and Lyle’s first trial, spoke about the abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called “hallway rule."

“When Jose was with one of the boys … you couldn’t even go up the stairs to be on the same floor,” Hernandez said of the father.

Judge reduced charge to manslaughter

Attorneys for the brothers proved they had been rehabilitated in prison and deserve a lesser sentence.

Geragos said he had been seeking to have their charges reduced to manslaughter so they can be given time served to allow them to be immediately released, but the judge did not go that far.

Los Angeles County prosecutors argued against the resentencing. They said the brothers have not taken complete responsibility for the crime. “They have not come clean” about their crimes, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

Geragos emphasized that the purpose of resentencing is to “encourage rehabilitation.”

“That is the law,” Geragos said, “not relitigate the facts of the crime as the D.A. wants to do.”

Former district attorney and fami

ly support resentencing

The previous LA County District Attorney George Gascón had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. His office said the case would've been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers' rehabilitation over three decades in prison.

A resentencing petition laid out by Gascón focused on the brothers' accomplishments and rehabilitation. Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates.

A former judge who said he considered himself tough on crime, Jonathan Colby, told the court that he was impressed with the programs the brothers started during their time in prison to provide aid and care for older and disabled inmates. He got to know them over a series of prison visits.

“There’s not many prisoners I meet like Erik and Lyle that have such concern for the elderly,” he said.

Former inmate Anerae Brown cried as he testified about how the brothers helped him heal and get on the path to rehabilitation, leading to his release from prison.

He called the programs they started “Menendez University."

“I have children now,” he said. “Without Lyle and Erik I might still be sitting in there doing stupid things.”

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This story has been updated to correct the ruling was issued Tuesday, not Friday, fixes the spelling of Baralt's first name and corrects that the defense attorney, not the judge, wanted the charges reduced to manslaughter.