Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez‘s elderly family members hope they are released soon so they have a chance to reunite before it is too late.
“There are many older members of the family that want the boys released as a last wish,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly about how Erik and Lyle’s loved ones reacted to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón‘s recommendation that the brothers’ life sentences be reduced.
According to the insider, Erik and Lyle’s family hopes to see them soon, adding, “There are a few family members with health battles, and their wish is to hold them again before they pass. They’re hoping [the process will] be quite quick — that is the family’s hope.”
Gascón announced on Thursday, October 24, his suggestion that Erik and Lyle be resentenced to 50 years, which could allow them to be released on parole for time served if approved by a judge.
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In the event that the judge signs off on Gascón’s recommendation, the decision would go before the Board of Parole Hearings. Erik and Lyle would either have to serve the remaining balance of the new sentence or they could be eligible for parole. Governor Gavin Newsom also has the power to approve or reject the Parole Board’s recommendation.
“Gavin Newsom is involved and it’s very high profile and political,” the insider continues. “So the family is hoping that will move the parole board process along.”
Erik and Lyle’s murder case has played out in the public for over three decades since their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, were found dead in 1989. The brothers were both arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder. Two subsequent trials resulted in Erik and Lyle’s conviction and a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Erik and Lyle meanwhile, have maintained that their mother and father were physically, emotionally and sexually abusive and that their actions were in self-defense.
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The brothers’ legal team continued to file appeals since their sentencing. Their post-conviction attorney Mark Geragos has remained determined to bring Erik and Lyle home after submitting new evidence in the case such as singer Roy Rosselló‘s allegations against José and a newly discovered letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy Cano describing his father’s alleged sexual abuse months before the murders.
“I won’t speak to whether [Erik and Lyle] have a plan [in the event they are released]. I just think that in order to get through each day, you’ve got to just ground yourself,” Geragos told Us earlier this month. “It’s a long road from life without [parole] for almost 17 years to being hopeful.”
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Kitty’s sister, Joan VanderMolen, has also spoken out to show her support for Erik and Lyle‘s release. She is one of many family members who continued to advocate for Erik and Lyle over the years despite the backlash.
“I am here for them. It’s bound to happen. It doesn’t make sense for them not to be [released],” VanderMolen told Us. “I can imagine it happening. They’ve been doing great since they’ve been in prison so that is not going to change.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin