The hope of **parole** takes shape seriously for the **Menendez brothers**, famous in the **United States** for the **murder** of their wealthy parents in their house in **Beverly Hills** in **1989**. Californian judge Michael Jesic reduced, Tuesday, May 11, the sentence of the two men, who had been sentenced to incompressible life and spent thirty-five years behind bars. This makes them eligible for a parole, on which a dedicated commission will have to decide later.
The **decision** was made after an hearing filled with emotions, where the family of Erik and Lyle Menendez supported their request for **liberation** and where the two brothers made amends by videoconferencing.
“I killed my mother and father. I have no excuse. I assume the full responsibility of my actions ” said Lyle Menendez, now 57 years old. “I fired five shots on my parents and went to get other ammunition. I lied to the police, I lied to my family. I am sincerely sorry “ completed Erik, 54 years old.
“We believe that 35 years old is enough” explained a cousin of the two men, Anamaria Baralt, in court. “Our family has completely forgiven them. They deserve a second chance in life. ”
A Case That Fascinates America
Judge Jesic said that after having “Long thought” about the sorrows that the brothers deserved. He granted them “Lots of merit for changing their lives” and he was particularly moved by a letter submitted by a prison official who supported the **reduction** in sentence, which he had never done for a person incarcerated for twenty-five years.
“I am not saying that they should be released, it is not up to me to decide, said the judge. I just think they have done enough for the past thirty years to have this chance. ”
The case had fascinated America, during one of the first trials broadcast on television. It returned to the light thanks to a series and a documentary from **Netflix** last year.
At the time of the murder of their parents, the prosecution accused the two young men, aged 18 and 21 at the time of the events, of having murdered them with gunshots to inherit their fortune of **$14 million**. Their **lawyers** had presented these murders as a desperate attempt at self-defense, saying that the two brothers had been raped for years by their father, José Menendez, and that their mother Kitty was aware.
In a world where the **#MeToo** movement has changed the perception of victims of **sexual violence**, a popular movement to claim their release emerged, supported by stars like **Kim Kardashian**.
“We are no longer in the 1990s. We have a more solid understanding of many things” praised their lawyer, Mark Geragos, at the exit of the court, in “Drawing [s] we hat “ to the judge who grants them this **reduction** in sentence.
Model Detainees
For more than three decades in **prison**, they have become model prisoners and “Have done their best to rehabilitate themselves” insisted Tamara Goodell, another cousin, in court.
Karen Vandermolen, the niece of Erik’s mother and Lyle, welcomed this decision in tears. At the end of the court, she hoped that this serves as “precedent” for detainees who show that they are “Capable of changing and transforming, just like [eux] ”.
The new **Los Angeles County prosecutor** Nathan Hochman opposed their release from prison. He believed that the Menendez brothers had not recognized all the lies made during the **investigation**. The latter had first accused the **mafia** of the murder of their parents, before changing their version several times. The investigators had finally got their hands on the recording of a **psychotherapy** session, where Erik admitted the murder.
They must appear before a **judicial commission** on June 13, a date which had been set before Tuesday’s decision. She was initially to issue an opinion on their behavior in prison to the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, to whom the two brothers asked to commute their sentence. The Democrat still has the power to oppose their **parole**.