Menendez brothers timeline: From the 1989 murders to their new fight for freedom
Lyle and Erik Menendez are pushing to be released after 35 years behind bars.
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been behind bars for 35 years for the gruesome double murders of their parents -- and the sensational case is still riveting the nation.
Here's the full timeline, from the trials to the brothers' fight for freedom:
1989
On Aug. 20, 1989, music executive Jose Menendez and his wife, Kitty Menendez, were gunned down with shotguns at their Beverly Hills, California, home.
Their sons, Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, called 911 and said their parents were killed by intruders.
1990
In March 1990, Erik and Lyle Menendez were arrested for first-degree murder.
1993
Erik and Lyle Menendez went on trial in 1993, with each brother having his own jury.
Prosecutors alleged the brothers -- who went on a spending spree after the slayings -- killed their wealthy parents for financial gain.
The defense argued the siblings acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father.
1994
The juries for Erik and Lyle Menendez deadlocked and mistrials were declared for both cases.
1996
In 1996, at the end of a second trial -- in which the judge barred much of the sex abuse evidence -- Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole.
The brothers were separated and sent to separate prisons.
1999
Erik Menendez married his wife, Tammi, in a ceremony in prison in 1999 after the two connected as pen pals.
The couple is still married and Tammi is an outspoken advocate for the brothers' release.
2003
Lyle Menendez married Rebecca Sneed at Mule Creek State Prison in 2003.
Sneed announced in November 2024 she and Lyle "have been separated for a while now but remain best friends and family."
"I am forever committed to the enduring fight for Lyle and Erik’s freedom," Sneed said in a statement.
2018
In 2018, Lyle and Erik Menendez were reunited for the first time since 1996, when Lyle Menendez was moved to Erik Menendez’s prison: the R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
When they came face to face for the first time, the brothers "burst into tears immediately," according to Robert Rand, a journalist who consulted for NBC's 2017 TV series on the brothers.
"They just hugged each other for a few minutes without saying any words to each other," Rand said. "Then the prison officials let them spend an hour together in a room."
2023
After spending decades behind bars, in 2023, the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition for a review of new evidence not presented at the original trial.
One piece of evidence is allegations from Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, who revealed in the 2023 docuseries "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed" that he was raped by Jose Menendez.
The second piece of evidence is a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders detailing his alleged abuse. The cousin testified about the alleged abuse at trial, but the letter -- which would have corroborated the cousin's testimony -- wasn't unearthed until several years ago, according to the brothers' attorney.
Through the habeas corpus petition, the court could reverse the conviction or reopen proceedings.
September 2024
In September 2024, Ryan Murphy's fictional series, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," premiered on Netflix, bringing new attention to the infamous murders.
October 2024
On Oct. 7, a documentary on the Menendez brothers was released on Netflix. The two Netflix programs gained a following online from a younger generation who empathized with the brothers' alleged abuse and started advocating for their release.
On Oct. 16, nearly two dozen Menendez family members added to that momentum when they united at a news conference to urge Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to recommend resentencing.
"If Lyle and Erik's case was heard today, with the understanding we now have about abuse and PTSD, there is no doubt in my mind their sentencing would have been very different," Anamaria Baralt, niece of Jose Menendez, told reporters.
Behind bars, the brothers "have sought to better themselves and serve as a support and inspiration for survivors all over the world," Baralt said. "Their continued incarceration serves no rehabilitative purpose."
On Oct. 24, Gascón announced he was recommending the brothers' sentence of life without the possibility of parole be removed, and they should instead be sentenced for murder, which would be a sentence of 50 years to life. Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, they would be eligible for parole immediately with the new sentence.
The DA's office said its resentencing recommendations take into account many factors, including rehabilitation in prison, and abuse or trauma that contributed to the crime. Gascón praised the work Lyle and Erik Menendez did behind bars to rehabilitate themselves and help other inmates.
November and December 2024
On Nov. 5, Gascón lost his race for reelection to Nathan Hochman.
Hochman became DA in December and said he wanted to review all of the evidence -- including prison records and trial transcripts -- before deciding if he'd recommend resentencing.
February 2025
On Feb. 21, Hochman announced that he asked the court to deny the brothers' habeas corpus petition, which aims to get a new trial or the case tossed out. The DA argued the new evidence the defense presented wasn't credible or admissible.
On Feb. 26, California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke out about the brothers' third potential path to freedom: their request to the governor for clemency.
Newsom ordered the parole board to launch a "comprehensive risk assessment" investigation into whether the brothers pose "an unreasonable risk to the public" if released.
"The Governor’s primary consideration when evaluating commutation applications is public safety, which includes the applicant’s current risk level, the impact of a commutation on victims and survivors, the applicant’s self-development and conduct since the offense, and if the applicant has made use of available rehabilitative programs, addressed treatment needs, and mitigated risk factors for reoffending," the governor's office said in the letter to defense attorney Mark Geragos.
March 2025
On March 10, Hochman announced he was asking the court to withdraw the previous district attorney's motion for resentencing, alleging the brothers never accepted responsibility for their actions and slamming their claims of self-defense as part of a litany of "lies."
Hochman said the brothers told 20 lies and admitted to four; he said 16 lies remain "unacknowledged."
Hochman argued that because the "brothers persist in telling these lies for the last over 30 years about their self-defense defense and persist in insisting that they did not suborn any perjury or attempt to suborn perjury, then they do not meet the standards for resentencing. They do not meet the standards for rehabilitation."
"If the Menendez brothers, at some point, unequivocally, sincerely and fully accept complete responsibility for all their criminal actions, acknowledge that the self-defense defense was phony and their parents weren't going to kill them ... and finally come clean with the court, with the public, with the DA's office, with their own family members and acknowledge all these lies ... in the future, the court can weigh these new insights into making a determination as to whether they now qualify for rehabilitation and re-sentencing. And the [DA's office] will do the same," Hochman said.
April 2025
On April 11, Judge Michael Jesic denied Hochman's motion to withdraw the resentencing petition, marking a win for the brothers' case.
May 2025
A hearing was held on May 9 to determine whether the brothers' resentencing case should include information from the California Board of Parole's newly completed risk assessment, which was conducted at Newsom's request as a part of the separate clemency path.
The risk assessment said Erik and Lyle Menendez pose a moderate risk to the community if they're released.
The assessment revealed the brothers possessed illegal cellphones in prison, among numerous other violations, though many are not recent. However, Erik Menendez had a phone as recently as January of this year, which Hochman stressed was during the resentencing effort when he should have been on his best behavior.
Jesic indicated he would take some of the risk assessment into account.
On May 13, following an all-day hearing, Jesic resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them eligible for parole -- a major step forward for the brothers' bid for freedom.
The brothers, who watched the hearing from prison, gave their own statements to the judge.
"I killed my mom and dad," Lyle Menendez told the judge. "I give no excuses."
He also admitted to committing perjury by lying in court in the '90s. He apologized to his family for years of lies and the shock and grief of the crimes.
"I committed an atrocious act," Erik Menendez told the judge. "My actions were criminal, selfish and cowardly. ... No excuse. No justification for what I did."
He admitted to lying for years and apologized.
"I have come a long way on this path" of redemption, Erik Menendez said, adding, "I will not stop trying to make a difference."
"This was absolutely a horrific crime," the judge said. He noted that he was moved by letters from prison guards and is amazed by what the brothers have accomplished.
In an exclusive statement hours after the resentencing decision, Erik Menendez told ABC News, "My hope and belief is that this is just one more, one step, on the path of widespread justice reform that will give us and so many hopeless souls in prison the continued hope to earn personal redemption."
"That possibility of having hope that rehabilitation works is more important than anything that happened to me today," he added.
What's next?
The parole process for the resentencing case will be long and could take years. A hearing has not been set.
As a part of the clemency case, Lyle and Erik Menendez will appear at independent parole board hearings on June 13. Newsom can grant clemency at any time.
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