VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Lyle MenéndezandErik Menéndezhave their first shot at freedom after more than 30 years in prison. Los Angeles Superior Court judge Michael V. Jesic resentenced the brothers on Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole, according to theNew York Times. They were originally sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1996 for the 1989 murders of their parents, Kitty and José Menéndez. Members of the Menéndez family testified on the brothers' behalf yesterday, appealing to Jesic that Lyle and Erik had taken advantage of educational and community resources at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego to better themselves. Tuesday's ruling grants them immediate eligibility for parole, for which the brothers will plead their case before the state's parole board during a hearing scheduled for June 13. The decision comes amid a renewed chorus calling for the brothers to be granted clemency for time served, bolstered by a recent film and seriesrevitalizing interest in their case. Netflix released both projects last fall. The first,Ryan Murphy'sMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, castCooper KochandNicholas Alexander Chavezas the brothers as well asChloë SevignyandJavier Bardemas their parents in a dramatic reenactment of the infamous crime. Erikcriticized the seriesas being "rooted in horrible and blatant lies," whileMurphy took creditfor the mounting calls for their freedom, declaring, "The Menéndez brothers should be sending me flowers." The second, a documentary simply titledThe Menéndez Brothers, took a more direct approach to the case, interviewing several family members who testified at their original trials, as well as journalists, jurors, and expert witnesses. Miles Crist/Netflix The case for the Menéndez brothers has largely revolved around an aspect of their original defense, that the killings were perpetrated in self-defense after years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their father. The brothers were first tried separately, but both trials resulted in deadlocked juries. Testimony from family members corroborating their accounts of abuse was controversially limited at the joint trial, which ultimately resulted in their conviction. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly'sfree daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Over 20 relatives of the brothers gathered in Los Angeles last October tourge the District Attorneyto consider resentencing. Joan Andersen VanderMolen, the sister of Kitty Menéndez, described the brothers as "failed by the very people who should have protected them — by their parents, by the system, by society at large." Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
