Were the Menendez Brothers Released? Update on Lyle and Erik Today
Gascón also filed a motion on October 30, 2024, supporting the Menendez brothers’ request for clemency from Governor Gavin Newsom. Describing the brothers as “model prisoners,” Gascón told CNN that he believes there is a strong likelihood they would be granted parole if the case reaches the parole board. An attorney for one of the brothers expressed hope that they could be home in time for Thanksgiving.
However, Gascón was replaced by former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, who took office on December 2, 2024. A resentencing hearing, initially scheduled for December 11, 2024, was postponed. On November 25, 2024, Judge Jesic explained that he needed more time to review the case and wanted to give District Attorney Hochman the same opportunity. The new hearing dates were set for January 30 and 31, 2025, but were postponed again.
The Menendez brothers were scheduled to return to court on March 20, 2025, for a hearing to determine if they should be resentenced. However, DA Hochman announced he asked the court to reject Lyle and Erik’s request for a new trial.
“We looked again at the credibility of the letters, particularly this Andy Cano 1988 supposed letter weighed in the continuum of lies, and it calls into drastic question whether this is in fact a 1988 letter written by Erik Menendez to Andy Cano about this sexual abuse,” Hochman said.
In February 2025, ahead of their hearing, California GovernorNewsom urged the parole board to conduct a thorough risk assessment of the Menendez brothers. This investigation will determine whether they would pose a danger to the public if granted parole.
A month later, weeks before their resentencing hearing, Hochman said he did not support the brothers’ possible resentencing and claimed that Lyle and Erik have been telling “lies” for decades. Judge Jesic held a hearing on April 11 to announce that resentencing proceedings would continue on April 17 and 18, 2025.
According to NBC News in Los Angeles, Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the Menendez brothers, said, “There have been some delays in this process that were unforeseeable, like the wildfires, that, of course, we have great patience for. This is another delay that is not so much, but we will continue to show up as a family.”
The reason for the latest pause was that the governor needed to review a risk assessment report, which neither the judge nor the lawyers had seen yet. This report was originally meant to be used in a separate hearing in June. Because of the confusion, the court decided to pause the current hearing to review the report. The resentencing hearing is now scheduled for May 9, 2025.
Where Are Lyle and Erik Now?
Both Lyle and Erik are serving their sentences at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in California. They were reunited in 2018 at the prison, after initially being sent to separate prisons following their 1996 conviction.
During their time apart, Lyle spoke to PEOPLE in 2017, sharing that, despite the crime, the ordeal brought them closer. They stayed in touch by playing chess through the mail and writing letters to each other. “We’re not twins, but when you’ve gone through the kind of chaotic childhood that we had, it’s almost like you are. You have that bond and that shared experience,” he said.
