Menendez Brothers' Release in Limbo After L.A. County DA Loses Reelection

Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Erik and Lyle Menendez’s future is uncertain after Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who recently called for the incarcerated brothers to be resentenced, lost his bid for reelection.

Gascón, 70, who has served as LA County’s District Attorney since 2020, was defeated by Republican-turned-Independent Nathan Hochman, the Associated Press confirmed on Wednesday, November 6.

The political loss comes after Gascón recommended late last month that Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, who are currently serving life sentences for the 1989 murder of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, be resentenced to add the possibility for parole.

Kim Kardashian, who is an outspoken proponent of prison reform, also called for the brothers’ release last month, pointing to their “exemplary disciplinary records” in prison and the years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse they allegedly faced at the hands of their parents. Much of the sexual abuse evidence was excluded during the Menendez brothers’ second trial, which began in 1995. The jury was unable to reach a decision during their first trial, which began in 1993.

Kim Kardashian Reacts to Call for Menendez Brothers' Resentencing

Gascón’s support for a second look at Erik and Lyle’s sentence came amid renewed interest in their case spurred by the fictionalized Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which premiered in September, as well as the streamer’s documentary The Menendez Brothers.

With Gascón set to leave office before a December 11 hearing on a potential resentencing of the brothers, Erik and Lyle could face new challenges trying to get released. During last month’s D.A. debate, Hochman called Gascón’s interest in the case “suspicious” timing, per Deadline. Hochman’s comments suggest that he might not take up the mantle of pursuing clemency for the Menendez brothers.

The family members Diane Hernandez (niece of Kitty Menendez), Joan VanderMolen (sister of Kitty Menendez) and Arnold VanderMolen (nephew of Kitty Menendez) reacts after the Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announces his decision on a possible resentencing recommendation for Erik and Lyle Menendez on October 24, 2024.

Erik’s wife, Tammi Menendez, previously spoke out via X about feeling “grateful” to Gascón for “his courage to seek resentencing” for her husband, but with a caveat.

“I am naturally disappointed he did not go further and act on his own belief that Erik and Lyle have served enough time in prison,” she continued.

Who Are the Menendez Brothers Married to While They're in Prison?

Tammi also shared her hope that Erik will be released in time for his next birthday and the upcoming holiday season.

“Only 22 days until Erik’s birthday! Let’s not allow him to spend another birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas behind bars,” she wrote via X on Tuesday, November 5. “It’s time for someone to step up and do what’s right!”

Erik and Tammi have been married since 1999, while Lyle married Rebecca Sneed in 2003. Lyle was previously married to Anna Eriksson from 1996 to 2001. He told ABC News in 2017 that “physical comfort is much less important” to a marriage than one might think, and shared how he and Sneed sustain their connection.

“I’ve found I can have a healthy marriage that is complicated and built around conversation and finding creative ways to communicate, sharing, without all the props that are normally there in marriage in terms of going out to dinner and having as much intimate time together and so on,” he said.