Kim Kardashian celebrated the latest update in the Erik and Lyle Menendez case, after Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon recommended they be resentenced for killing their parents.
The reality TV star, 44, took to her Instagram Stories with a lengthy text post, where she said the brothers were ‘granted a second chance’ and praised Gascon for ‘righting a significant wrong.’
‘The Menendez brothers were granted a second chance at life and will wake up tomorrow finally eligible for a parole hearing,’ Kim began her statement.
‘They could be released in as early as 6 months,’ the SKIMS founder — who previously shared she believes the brothers should be freed from prison — added.
‘Thank you, George Gascón, for revisiting the Menéndez brothers’ case and righting a significant wrong. Your commitment to truth and fairness is commendable.’
Kim Kardashian, 44, celebrated the latest update in the Erik and Lyle Menendez case; she is pictured in April in Los Angeles
On Thursday, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon recommended the brothers be resentenced for killing their parents; they are seen in court in 1992
‘To the brothers’ family, friends, and the millions who have been vocal supporters – your voices were heard. The media’s foucs, especially on the heels of Ryan Murphy‘s TV show, helped expose the abuse and injustices in their case.’
‘Society’s understanding of child abuse has evolved, and social media empowers us to question the system in place. This case highlights the importance of challenging decisions and seeking truth, even when guilt is not in question.’
‘I believe in the justice system’s ability to evolve, and I am grateful for a society where we can challenge decisions and seek justice.’
Kim — who passed California ‘s ‘baby bar’ exam in 2021 — ended her post writing, ‘Never stop questioning.’
The star — whose father, Robert Kardashian, was O. J. Simpson’s attorney — followed it up with a second text post, writing, ‘Erik and Lyle are immediately eligible for parole now that their sentence has been reduced to 50 years to life.’
‘In 2015, a bill was passed in California allowing individuals sentenced to life in prison before the age of 25 to seek parole after serving 25 years. Since Erik and Lyle have been in prison for 35 years, they qualify as ‘youthful offenders’ and are immediately eligible for parole.’
Gascon held a press conference on Thursday afternoon where he recommended Erik and Lyle receive a new sentence – 35 years after they murdered their parents Kitty and Jose inside their Beverly Hills mansion.
His recommendation is that they be eligible for parole immediately. It will be up to a court to ultimately determine the final sentence for the brothers, now aged 53 and 56.
‘The Menendez brothers were granted a second chance at life and will wake up tomorrow finally eligible for a parole hearing,’ Kim wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement
She followed it up with a second text post, writing, ‘Erik and Lyle are immediately eligible for parole now that their sentence has been reduced to 50 years to life’
Gascon held a press conference on Thursday afternoon where he recommended Erik and Lyle receive a new sentence after more than 30 years behind bars
It will be up to a court to ultimately determine the final sentence for the brothers, now aged 53 and 56; seen in court in 1990
‘I believe they have paid their debt to society… and the system provides a vehicle for their case to be reviewed by a court of law,’ Gascon said.
The announcement comes on the back of mounting community pressure to reconsider the life sentences without parole Erik and Lyle received at their 1996 trial.
The brothers have never denied killing their parents, but have long claimed they were driven to do so after suffering years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their businessman father.
The public was unconvinced by their claims in the 1980s, believing instead they were ruthless monsters.
But in recent months, a TikTok movement of more sympathetic fans and a duo of Netflix shows has won them favor.
Now armed with Gascon’s recommendation, the Menendez case will return to court, where a judge will ultimately decide their fate.
Gascon approached the Menendez brothers’ relatives when he made his way into the press conference on Thursday afternoon, greeting Kitty’s sister Joan, 92, who has long advocated for her nephews’ release.
A sympathetic Gascon told the packed room: ‘I do believe they were molested. They have been in prison for nearly 35 years. I believe that they have paid their debt to society.
‘After careful review, I came to a place where I believe that resentencing is appropriate.
The duo, then just 18 and 21, killed their parents Jose and Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez (pictured center) inside their million-dollar Beverly Hills home in August 1989
Kardashian previously said in an op-ed published earlier this month that she believes Lyle and Erik should be freed from prison, and that she has spent time with them; seen in 2024
Kim met the brothers in a surprising visit to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego; (pictured April)
‘I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow. What that means, is that we’re going to recommend to the court that life without possibility of parole be removed, and they be sentenced for murder, which, because there were two murders involved, that’s 50 years to life.
‘But under the law, because at the time they were under 26 at the time these crimes occurred, they will be eligible for parole immediately.’
Gascon had the opportunity to recommend the charges be reduced to manslaughter, but he opted against that because ‘these were clearly murders.’
After killing their parents in August of 1989, they made a frantic call to police claiming they returned home to find their parents had been slaughtered, prompting fears within one of America’s wealthiest communities that a murderer was on the run.
Police said the murder was motivated by greed. The brothers stood to inherit $14million from their parents, and set about spending it shortly after their parents’ deaths.
Lyle bought a Porsche Carrera, Rolex watch and two restaurants, while his brother hired a full-time tennis coach to begin competing in tournaments.
In all, they spent $700,000 between the time of their parents’ deaths and their arrests in March 1990.
Erik and Lyle claimed they acted in self-defense. They said they were lifelong victims of sexual abuse at their hands of their father.
Gascón said during a news conference that attorneys for Lyle and Erik have asked a court to vacate their conviction, as the case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story last month.
The Menendez Brothers documentary series is from creator Ryan Murphy, a friend of Kardashian’s who has worked with her on projects such as American Horror Story and the forthcoming legal drama All’s Fair.
Attorneys for Lyle and Erik have asked a court to vacate their conviction, as the case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story last month; still from the show
The series is from creator Ryan Murphy (pictured) a friend of Kardashian’s who has worked with her on projects such as American Horror Story and the forthcoming legal drama All’s Fair.
Kardashian previously said in an op-ed published earlier this month that she believes Lyle and Erik should be freed from prison.
The star, a longtime proponent of criminal justice reform, explained her rationale in an op-ed for NBC News.
Kardashian said in her op-ed that people ‘are all products of our experiences’ and that ‘this story is much more complex than it appears on the surface.’
The reality star noted that ‘both brothers said they had been sexually, physically and emotionally abused for years by their parents.
‘Following years of abuse and a real fear for their lives, Erik and Lyle chose what they thought at the time was their only way out – an unimaginable way to escape their living nightmare.’
Kardashian wrote that the brothers were portrayed as ‘two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed’ leaving ‘no room for empathy, let alone sympathy’ in the court of public opinion.
Kardashian said in her essay that she felt ‘Erik and Lyle had no chance of a fair trial against this backdrop’ amid the cultural environment of the 1990s.
Kardashian noted how she has ‘spent time with Lyle and Erik’ weeks after reports that she was with sister Khloe Kardashian and mother Kris Jenner at the the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where the brothers are in custody.
Kardashian said, ‘They are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent, and honest men’ who have utilized their time in custody by earning multiple college degrees; working as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice; and mentoring other inmates in college programs.’
Kardashian has been passionate about criminal justice and the law, as for the past few years, she has been studying to become a lawyer; pictured in between former White House advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in June of 2019
‘In prison, they both have exemplary disciplinary records,’ she said. ‘When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors.’
Kardashian has been passionate about criminal justice and the law, as for the past few years, she has been studying to become a lawyer, following in the footsteps of her late father.
After three attempts, she passed the Baby Bar exam in December of 2021.
She has also focused her efforts toward criminal justice reform, and was instrumental in the 2018 prison release of Alice Marie Johnson, following a pardon from then-President Donald Trump.
