A timeline of the Menendez brothers’ double-murder case
May 12, 2025, 9:06 PM
FILE - Lyle, left, and Erik Galen Menendez sit in Beverly Hills, Calif., courtroom, May 14, 1990 as a judge postponed their preliminary hearing on charges of murdering their parents last August. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Erik and Lyle Menendez have spent nearly 30 years in prison for the double murder of their parents. This week in Los Angeles, a judge is set to consider whether they should be resentenced.
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Their case reached a major turning point last year when then- Los Angeles District Attorney George Gasc贸n said he was reviewing new evidence in the case.
If the Los Angeles judge shortens their sentences this week, the brothers would still need approval from the state鈥檚 parole board to get out of prison. They could also go free on time served.
Here鈥檚 a look at their case over the last three decades:
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March 1990: Lyle Menendez, then 21, is arrested. A few days later, Erik Menendez, 18, turns himself in. They are charged with first-degree murder.
July 1993: The Menendez brothers go on trial, each with a separate jury. Prosecutors argued that they killed their parents for financial gain. The brothers鈥� attorneys don鈥檛 dispute the pair killed their parents, but argued that they acted out of self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse by their father.
Jan. 1994: Both juries deadlock.
Oct. 1995: The brothers鈥� retrial begins, this time with a single jury. Much of the defense evidence about alleged sexual abuse is excluded during the second trial.
March 1996: Jurors convict both brothers of first-degree murder.
July 1996: The brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
February 1998: A California appeals court upholds the brothers鈥� conviction, and three months later, the state Supreme Court agrees.
October 1998: The brothers file habeas corpus petitions with the California Supreme Court. After they are denied the next year, they file petitions in federal district court, which are also denied.
September 2005: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denies their habeas corpus appeal.
May 3: Attorneys for the Menendez brothers ask the court to reconsider the convictions and life sentences in light of new evidence from a former member of the boy band Menudo, who said he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was 14. In addition, they submit a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin before the killings about his father鈥檚 abuse.
Sep. 19: Netflix releases the crime drama 鈥� Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, 鈥� a nine-episode series about the killings.
Oct. 4: Gasc贸n says his office is reviewing new evidence in the case.
Oct. 16: Multiple generations of family members of the Menendez brothers hold a news conference pleading for their release from prison. The relatives say the jurors who sentenced them to life without parole in 1996 were part of a society that was not ready to hear that boys could be raped.
Oct. 24: Prosecutors say they will petition the court to resentence the brothers, and that it could lead to their release.
Nov. 18: California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he would not decide on granting the brothers clemency until after the newly elected district attorney has a chance to review the case.
Nov. 25: A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge holds a hearing regarding the request for resentencing but says he needs more time to make a decision, delaying the resentencing hearings.
Dec. 3: Nathan Hochman is sworn into office as the new district attorney of LA County.
Feb. 21: Hochman says his office will oppose a new trial for the Menendez brothers. He cast doubt on the evidence of sexual abuse. The following week, Newsom orders the state parole board to conduct a 鈥渃omprehensive risk assessment鈥� to determine whether the brothers have been rehabilitated and if they would pose a danger to the public if released.
March 10: Hochman says his office won鈥檛 support resentencing the brothers because they have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents.
April 11: Judge denies prosecutors’ request to withdraw their resentencing petition. The following week, resentencing hearings scheduled are delayed due to disputes among prosecutors and the brothers鈥� lawyers, who say they will ask to remove Hochman’s office from the case.
May 9: Hochman’s office remains on the case as the judge again denies prosecutors’ request to withdraw their resentencing petition. New resentencing hearing dates are set for May 13 and 14.
