Report: The Menendez brothers may be released from prison before Christmas

Eric and Lyle Menendez could be home in time for Christmas, nearly 30 years after they were convicted of murdering their wealthy parents in their lavish Beverly Hills mansion.

The judge could allow the couple to walk out freely as early as December 11. The Los Angeles Times reported.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón had recommended reducing the brothers' life prison sentences for the 1989 shotgun killings of their parents, citing new evidence – including a handwritten letter from Eric Menendez to his cousin before the killing claiming his father had abused him. Sexually. .

After a meeting between the brothers' lawyers and Judge Michael V. Jesick of Los Angeles County Superior Court agreed to hold a hearing in December in which Jesick could have his sentence reduced from first-degree murder to manslaughter, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The killer brothers will be released immediately, having served three times the maximum sentence for that crime.

The Menendez brothers' lawyer, Mark Geragos, is seeking clemency from Governor Gavin Newsom with the aim of getting the couple out of the crisis before Thanksgiving. ABC 7 reported.

In 1989, Eric and Lyle — the sons of wealthy music impresario Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez — bought guns and fired several shots at both parents while they were watching television in their Beverly Hills mansion.

Before charges were brought against them, the two spent their money with their $14 million inheritance. Their lavish purchases included luxury travel, a sports car, Rolex watches, two restaurants for Lyle, and a full-time tennis coach for Eric.

In the courtroom, the two admitted to the murders, but claimed it was self-defense for a lifetime of abuse, including sexual abuse, by their father.

They requested a reduced sentencing hearing in 2023 after new evidence emerged about their father's history of sexual abuse, and a 2024 Netflix documentary about the case sparked new public interest.

Several family members have rallied behind the brothers, calling for their release at a news conference earlier this month, shortly after a prosecutor released a screenshot of a letter Eric sent to his cousin, written years before the murders, alleging that his father had abused him. Sexually.