Erik and Lyle Menendez Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images
Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez didn’t make an appearance in court when a judge pushed back the date for the resentencing hearing in their murder case.
Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, were meant to appear remotely at a court date in Los Angeles on Monday, November 25. However, Judge Michael Jesic said he needed more time to get up to speed on the case and would not be ready by December 11, which was the original date for the official hearing. He moved the resentencing hearing to January 30 and 31.
Us Weekly confirmed that Erik and Lyle could “hear everything” but never appeared in court due to technical issues with the prison feed.
Erik and Lyle were arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder after their parents, Kitty and José Menéndez, were found shot in their home. The siblings later admitted to killing their parents following years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. They were ultimately found guilty of and sentenced to life without parole in 1996 after two high-profile trials.
While their prior attempts to appeal the decision were denied, recent high-profile TV projects such as Monsters, The Menéndez Brothers and more have seemingly offered Erik and Lyle a chance at freedom. In October, the Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón recommended that a judge resentence Erik and Lyle to 50 years, which could make them eligible for parole and prison release.
“I won’t speak to whether [Erik and Lyle] have a plan [after their potential prison release]. I just think that in order to get through each day, you’ve got to just ground yourself,” their attorney Mark Geragos exclusively told Us at the time. “It’s a long road from life without [parole] for almost 17 years to being hopeful.”
Erik and Lyle Menendez MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images
The request has since gotten more complicated as Gascón lost his bid for reelection earlier this month. District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman, is taking office on December 2. After Erik and Lyle also petitioned for clemency, Governor Gavin Newsom said he will defer the decision to allow Hochman to review the case upon entering office.
Monday’s status hearing entered two new pieces of evidence into consideration — which were not presented during Erik and Lyle’s initial trials — that support their allegations of sexual abuse by their father. The petition cited singer Roy Rosselló‘s allegations against José and a newly discovered letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy Cano describing his father’s alleged sexual abuse months before the murders.
MEGA A decision about Erik and Lyle Menéndez‘s murder case came sooner than expected due to a few reasons. After there was renewed interview in Erik, 53, and Lyle’s high-profile case 25 years later, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced on October 4 that a hearing has been set amid new evidence. Gascón said […]
Several of Erik and Lyle’s loved ones attended Monday’s court date as they await news of their potential return home.
“There are many older members of the family that want the boys released as a last wish,” a source exclusively told Us last month. “There are a few family members with health battles, and their wish is to hold them again before they pass. They’re hoping [the process will] be quite quick — that is the family’s hope.”
After the hearing was delayed, a source told Us that the family “is still hopeful that the brothers will be released” soon.
Lyle’s personal life made headlines days before Monday’s court date when his now-estranged wife Rebecca Sneed revealed their separation after 21 years of marriage amid his alleged cheating scandal with a 21-year-old British college student.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images Lyle Menéndez has wife Rebecca Sneed by his side as he serves his life sentence for first-degree murder. Before Lyle found love with Sneed, he made headlines after becoming a person of interest in the murder of his parents. Lyle and his brother, Erik Menéndez, were charged in 1990 on […]
“Guys! This is NOT a cheating scandal. Lyle and I have been separated for a while now but remain best friends and family,” Sneed, 39, wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, November 21. “I continue to run his Facebook pages, with input from him, and I am forever committed to the enduring fight for Lyle and Erik’s freedom, as has been so evident over the years.”
She continued: “Please keep this page as the abuse survivor support page Lyle wants it to be. I’ll continue to update you all on the progress of the case because I believe we all have the common goal of seeing the guys walk free! I will never stop fighting for them. Please continue to join us in this fight!”
