The Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case that inspired Netlix’s ‘Monsters’ series gets a new twist

Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case gained momentum recently after Netflix began streaming ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.’ The brothers are currently in prison for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago. But here’s a new twist in this case.

Reports emerged Wednesday claiming that the family of Erik and Lyle Menendez will advocate for the brothers’ release from prison during a press conference in downtown Los Angeles.

According to the Associated Press, the press conference will come less than two weeks after Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that his office was taking another look at the brothers’ case.

Prosecutors are analyzing new evidence to determine whether the pair, who were the subjects of a new Netflix show, should serve life in prison.

The new evidence includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his lawyers say corroborates allegations that he was sexually abused by his father. A hearing has been scheduled for November 29.

The case

Erik Menendez, now 53, and his 56-year-old brother, Lyle Menendez, are currently incarcerated in a state prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of murdering their parents more than 35 years ago.

Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they shot and killed their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989.

They, however, said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the revelation of Erik’s sexual abuse by his father.

Prosecutors previously said there was no evidence of any sexual abuse. They said the children were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

But the brothers said they killed their parents in self-defense, after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their lawyers argue that because of society’s changing views on sexual abuse, the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole today.

Jurors in 1996 rejected the death sentence in favor of life in prison without parole.

The family’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, previously said he strongly supports the brothers’ release. Comedian Rosie O’Donnell also plans to join the family on Wednesday.

“She wants nothing more than for them to be freed,” Freedman said earlier this month of Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister and the brothers’ aunt.

The brothers’ lawyers said the family believed from the beginning that they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that led to the brothers’ murder convictions, attorney Mark Geragos previously said.

(With contributions from the Associated Press)