Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has expressed his support for clemency for Lyle and Erik Menendez, who are serving life sentences for killing their parents in 1989. The brothers have been in prison for 34 years and have shown signs of rehabilitation by continuing their education and creating programs for other inmates. Their attorneys have submitted requests for clemency to Gov. Gavin Newsom, which would allow the brothers to be released immediately.
Gascón’s support for clemency comes after he recommended resentencing the brothers to 50 years to life, which would make them eligible for parole immediately. The brothers were convicted of murder after two trials, during which claims of sexual abuse by their father were largely deemed inadmissible in court. However, their attorneys argued in clemency requests that both brothers were sexually abused by their father from a young age.
The Menendez brothers shot their parents with shotguns in their Beverly Hills home, and were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996. Prosecutors at the time claimed they were motivated by greed, as they went on a spending spree after the killings. The clemency request emphasizes the brothers’ rehabilitation efforts, their young age at the time of the crimes, and their accomplishments while in prison as reasons for granting clemency. A hearing for resentencing is scheduled for December 11, and Newsom’s office has not commented on whether he will grant clemency.
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