The Menendez brothers’ case, an infamous one from the ’90s, reentered relevance. The brothers, Erik and Lyle Menendez, were convicted of murdering their parents and sentenced to several life sentences in prison without the chance of parole. Now, they might finally have a glimpse of freedom.
New evidence has been presented to Los Angeles County District Attorney (DA) George Gascón, who stated that the case is being reviewed. If this new evidence presents grounds for a sentence reexamination, then the brothers could possibly be retried or even freed. This new evidence includes a handwritten letter by Erik in 1988 to a cousin in which he shares that his father, Jose Menendez, was abusing him, as well as an affidavit from a former 1980s band member who accused Jose of rape. The brothers claimed to have killed their parents because of sexual abuse they endured for decades from their father, so this new evidence may make it possible to further support their defense.
Along with the new evidence coming to light, the television series “Monsters,” directed by Ryan Murphy, has taken over the internet. This season of the show focused on the Menendez brothers’ case, which sparked controversy and drew a lot of attention to the case. During the trials and the decades following, many people disagreed with the sentence the brothers received and believed that the system failed them. The ABC host who covered the trial, Terry Moran, famously said that their sexual abuse wouldn’t have been so unbelievable had they been the Menendez sisters. The public either had deep sympathy for the boys and all they endured, or they believed they were cruel murderers who did it for the money from their father’s will.
When the show aired, people were disappointed in the director’s portrayal of the boys. When the DA was asked if he believed the men deserved a life sentence, he said their sentences should be reevaluated, meaning that if this case is reviewed, the brothers have a good chance of gaining freedom, especially in today’s social climate where sexual abuse of men is more acknowledged.
However, some people are speculating that the DA has ill intentions in the review, because he is in trouble with regard to his election, so this might be a safeguard for him. Since the show has made this case popular again, the DA has an opportunity to gain public favor. Hopefully that isn’t the reason for choosing to review the case, but if it is, then that means without the show’s popularity, there probably wouldn’t have been new concern about the brothers’ sentence.
The possibility of changing the brothers’ sentencing would obviously benefit them, but it might also pave the way for judges and jurors in the future to take sexual abuse against boys more seriously. Back in the ’90s, there were many toxic outlooks on men in society, which could have contributed to where the brothers are today and the years they spent in jail for their crimes.
I personally think the brothers should have served some time because, at the end of the day, they did kill their parents. However, I can’t agree with them spending their lives in prison or even anything over 10 to 15 years, given their circumstances. I can’t really give a strong opinion on this, and I don’t think anyone can because their case is so unique. There is no clear answer to how they should have been sentenced, but what is a fact is how split the public was over this decision.
If this case is actually reviewed and the brothers are freed, there will likely be mixed reactions. One concern that is frequently brought up is how the brothers will feel being freed and whether they would be ready to be a part of the outside world again.
Loresa Zeqiraj, FCRH ’28, is an international studies major from Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
