The future of Erik and Lyle Menendez remains uncertain after Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who recently advocated for their resentencing, lost his reelection to Nathan Hochman, a Republican-turned-Independent.
Gascón, who has served as DA since 2020, suggested last month that Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56—serving life sentences for the 1989 murder of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez—be resentenced with an option for parole.
Kim Kardashian, a prominent prison reform advocate, also supported their release, citing the brothers’ good behavior in prison and alleged abuse they endured from their parents. Much of the abuse evidence was omitted from their second trial in 1995, after a deadlocked jury in their 1993 trial.
Gascón’s interest in revisiting the case has coincided with renewed public interest, spurred by the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and documentary The Menendez Brothers.
With Gascón leaving office before a December 11 hearing, Hochman, who criticized Gascón’s timing, may be less likely to pursue clemency for the Menendez brothers.
Erik’s wife, Tammi Menendez, expressed appreciation for Gascón’s efforts but wished he had done more to secure her husband’s release, hoping he could be free by his next birthday and the holiday season.
Erik and Tammi married in 1999, while Lyle wed Rebecca Sneed in 2003 after a prior marriage to Anna Eriksson.
In a 2017 interview, Lyle discussed how he and Sneed sustain their marriage through communication, despite the limitations of prison life.
