By Katie Sartori, Guest Writer 

In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. They were sentenced to life without parole and have spent the last 35 years behind bars. 

I want to make it clear that the murders were not excusable, something both men have wholeheartedly agreed upon and shown remorse for since the events of that night. Nobody is arguing that they did not deserve to serve any time whatsoever, but it is safe to say that by now, they have served enough.

My outrage over this case stems from the blatant injustices that the brothers faced during their second trial in 1996, after the first trial ended in a hung jury. The brothers testified that they murdered their parents in self-defense and that killing them was the only way to escape.

In the first trial, Erik and Lyle recounted the horrific details of their childhood in which they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of their father, enabled by their mother. It started as early as when they were six years old, according to Lyle. During Erik’s testimony, he stated that the abuse continued until he was 18 years old, the age at which he committed the murders. If that needs spelling out, he was raped by his father for over a decade.  

Coaches, friends and family members testified in the brothers’ defense. However, eight days before the second trial was set to take place, OJ Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Los Angeles was in an uproar over the justice system’s failure to convict him, and thus, the judge in the Menéndez case decided to exclude any of the corroborating evidence. This meant many witnesses were barred from testifying about the abuse allegations, and some evidence of the abuse was deemed inadmissible. 

Their case is a prime example of how disastrous stereotypes can be, specifically surrounding topics as monstrous as sexual abuse. In a statement Erik released regarding Ryan Murphy’s “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menéndez Story,” he expressed how saddening it was to see that the show upheld the uninformed and regressive beliefs of the prosecution that “males were not sexually abused and that they experienced rape trauma differently than women.” 

Luckily, their case might not be over yet. New evidence came to light when a letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy eight months before the murders was released. In this letter, he spoke of the abuse José was committing, stating, “It’s still happening, Andy, but it’s worse for me now… Every night, I stay up thinking he might come in.” The second piece of evidence comes from Menudo band member Roy Rosselló, who came forward claiming that he was drugged and raped by José at just 14 years old in the Menendez family’s New Jersey home. 

This new evidence has allowed the defense to petition a writ of habeas corpus, which allows for a court-ordered release of a prisoner unlawfully detained. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has said there is a potential for resentencing to a manslaughter charge, the conviction they likely would have received if they were women. 

During their 35 years in prison, they have proven time and time again that they are reformed individuals. They have started programs and support groups, earned college degrees and dedicated their time to helping others even when no one helped them.

I find myself subduing my hope that these men may be able to walk free soon, considering that the justice system has failed them before. It pains me to think that the brothers have made peace with finding freedom only in death. It enrages me to know that far worse people have gotten far less time. 

Their sentencing is one deserved for those who perpetrate sexual abuse, for pedophiles and serial killers, not two young men who experienced a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual trauma at the hands of the people who were supposed to love and care for them the most.