Erik and Lyle Menendez will be eligible to leave prison after serving more than 30 years behind bars for the vicious 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents, a Los Angeles judge ruled Tuesday.
The judge reduced the sentences for the killer siblings — who are now 54 and 57, respectively — from life without parole to 50 years to life with the possibility of parole.
It will now be up to the California state parole board and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to decide if the brothers deserve freedom after they gunned down their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their lavish Beverly Hills home on Aug. 20, 1989.
Lawyers cross-examined several witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing, including family members and one former inmate, who all insisted Lyle and Erik had learned the error of their ways and had redeemed themselves in prison.
Deputy Attorney Habib Balian argued that the brothers showed no “insight” by sticking to an “absurd” claim that they killed their parents in self-defense after years of sexual abuse.
But their lawyer, Mark Geragos, insisted the brothers have undergone full transformations.
In the end, Judge Michael Jesic sided with Geragos, the family members and the brothers themselves, who delivered emotional statements of remorse at the end of the hearing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
