New sentence: Menendez brothers could soon be released on parole

The US judiciary has cleared the way for the Menendez brothers, famous for their role in a Netflix series, to be released on parole . In a rehearing of the case on a request for a reduced sentence, a judge in the state of California reduced the sentences of the two brothers, who were sentenced to life without parole, to 50 years to life imprisonment on Tuesday. This makes Lyle and Erik Menendez, who killed their parents in 1989, eligible for parole.

Judge Michael Jesic's ruling, which qualifies the brothers for probation, came after an emotional court hearing in Los Angeles. The brothers accepted full responsibility for their crimes. "I believe they have done enough over the past 35 years to one day have the chance to be released," Judge Michael Jesic said during the sentencing.

The case of the Menendez brothers was brought back into the public spotlight last year by a Netflix series. The brothers, then 19 and 21 years old, killed their parents in the family home in Beverly Hills, California, in 1989. They were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The verdict means the brothers, who have already spent more than 30 years behind bars, could be released on parole next month. However, a parole board will decide on this.

At the trial, prosecutors argued that the brothers murdered their parents to gain quicker access to a $14 million inheritance (€12.3 million in today's value). Supporters, however, argued that the brothers acted in self-defense after years of sexual and physical abuse by their tyrannical father, with their mother's consent.

The case was reopened in mid-April. A Los Angeles judge granted a request by former District Attorney George Gascon for a retrial for a reduced prison sentence. His successor, District Attorney Nathan Hochman, had opposed the retrial.