Kim Kardashian shared in a personal essay to NBC News that she hopes convicted murderers “ Erik and Lyle Menendez ’s life sentences are reconsidered.” In the essay, which was posted by the outlet on Thursday, October 3, Kardashian, an avid advocate for justice reform, stated that the two brothers “are not monsters” and that she believes they “were condemned before [their] trial even began.” Kardashian, 43, recently spent time with Erik and Lyle, who are 53 and 56, respectively, and believes their case is “complex” after getting to know the pair personally.
The brothers were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty , in their Beverly Hills, California, home in 1989, when they were 18 and 21 years old. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996, following two trials. Kardashian, who is pursuing her law degree after passing the “baby bar” in 2021 noted in her essay that the brothers acted in self-defense out of a result of “years of abuse and a real fear for their lives,” and noted she believed their trauma was compounded by how the media treated their case.
“Erik and Lyle’s case became entertainment for the nation, their suffering and stories of abuse ridiculed in skits on Saturday Night Live ,” Kardashian wrote. “The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized eye candy — two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sym.
