Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence that could lead to the release or a new trial in the case of two brothers who were convicted of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. Lyle Menendez, 56, and his 53-year-old brother Erik are serving life in prison without parole for the 1989 shotgun murders. Their father and mother - Jose and Kitty Menendez - were shot several times at close range.
Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at the time. The Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon confirmed on Thursday the brothers will get a court hearing in November after his office received new evidence which allegedly corroborates claims Erik Menendez was sexually abused by his father, who was a music executive. The brothers have said they killed their parents in self-defence after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them.
Their lawyers argue because of society's changing views on sexual abuse, the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole today. Prosecutors at the time contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the brothers were after their parents' multimillion-dollar estate.
The case has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after a Netflix dramatisation of their story - which has drawn accusations of "dishonesty" from Erik Menendez - is currently number one in the streamer's viewing chart. Cooper Koch, the actor who plays Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle And.
