Erik and Lyle Menendez eligible for parole after having life sentences reduced as Netflix shows piled pressure on case

The brothers have served 35 years behind bars for the murder of their parents Jose Menendez and Kitty Menendez in their Beverley Hills home in 1989. The Menendez siblings were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings.

The pair had their life sentences reduced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic. Erik and Lyle’s sentence was reduced to 50 years to life, and now means that the pair are eligible for parole through California’s youthful offender law, as they were under the age of 26 when the crime was committed.

Erik and Lyle have not yet been released, but will presented in front of the state parole board, which will make a decision on their future. Mr Jesic said: “I’m not saying they should be released, it’s not for me to decide. I do believe they’ve done enough in the past 35 years that they should get that chance.”

The case garnered considerable media attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the US due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of Mr and Mrs Menendez, which included the wealthy couple being murdered in their own home by their children. The prosecution sought to convince the jury that they had orchestrating the killings to inherit the family fortune, however Erik and Lyle claimed that the murders were in self-defence after suffering physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their father, which they say their mother knew about.

Erik and Lyle’s story also inspired a recent Netflix drama series titled ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’, which chronicled the brothers’ claims of abuse before the murders. The show was a huge hit, topping the Netflix charts worldwide and earning three Golden Globe nominations.

Following the success of the drama series, Netflix released a documentary film about the brothers’ story, in which Erik and Lyle both speak about the case from behind bars. The documentary became the most watched film on Netflix worldwide when it was released, with public interest in the Menendez brothers’ case at an all-time high and viewers calling for the release of Erik and Lyle.