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Watch: Family of Menendez brothers hold press conference to discuss pending review of life sentences

Lucy Leeson
Thursday 17 October 2024 13:24 BST
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Watch as the family of the Menendez brothers held a press conference on Wednesday (16 October) to discuss the pending review of their life sentences.

The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez advocated for the brothers’ release from prison during a news conference on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles.

It comes as prosecutors review new evidence to determine whether the pair, who were the subject of a new Netflix show, should be serving life sentences.

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

Billed as “a powerful show of unity” by more than a dozen family members — including the brothers’ aunt — travelled across the country to Los Angeles, the news conference took place less than two weeks after LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced his office was looking at the brothers’ case again.

Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989 but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik.

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