Family cautious about Erik and Lyle Menendez’s release after ‘years of disappointments in court’

The Menendez family, including Jose’s niece Annamaria Baralt, have expressed hope but are withholding celebration.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has formally recommended a resentencing hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in Beverly Hills. Gascón’s request to the court focuses on newly surfaced evidence suggesting a history of alleged sexual abuse by Jose Menendez, which attorneys argue could have influenced the brothers’ actions.

This recommendation, informed by evolving social understandings of trauma and abuse, proposes resentencing the brothers to 50 years to life as “youthful offenders,” which would make them eligible for immediate parole consideration. The Menendez family, including Jose’s niece Annamaria Baralt, have expressed careful hope but are withholding celebration, aware of the brothers’ long history of unsuccessful appeals.

Mark Geragos, the post-conviction attorney for Erik and Lyle, describes this move as a crucial breakthrough, with parole hearings possibly set to take place as early as Thanksgiving, marking a potential shift in a case that has seen over three decades of legal battles.