Judge reduces Menendez brothers’ murder sentences, putting them a step closer to freedom

LOS ANGELES AP Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after years behind bars for murdering their parents a judge ruled Tuesday Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers sentences from life without parole to years to life They re now eligible for parole under California s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of The state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison I m not saying they should be distributed it s not for me to decide Jesic disclosed I do believe they ve done enough in the past years that they should get that chance The brothers did not show any apparent emotion during majority of of the testimony as they appeared via livestream video but chuckled when one of their cousins Diane Hernandez stated the court that Erik Menendez received A grades in all of his classes during his majority latest semester in college I killed my mom and dad I make no excuses and also no justification Lyle revealed in a report to the court The impact of my violent actions on my family is unfathomable The brothers have served nearly years in prison for the double murder of their parents They still need approval from the state s parole board and could potentially go free on time served They were sentenced in 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 The brothers were and at the time While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father prosecutors revealed the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance The circumstance has captured the populace s attention for decades and last year the Netflix drama Monsters The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and documentary The Menendez Brothers brought new attention to the situation Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in the past scant months Hearing begins with testimony from a family member The defense began by calling Anamaria Baralt a cousin of Erik and Lyle who testified that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions We all on both sides of the family believe that years is enough Baralt explained They are universally forgiven by our family Another cousin Tamara Goodell commented she had in recent weeks taken her -year-old son to meet the brothers in prison and that they would contribute a lot of good to the world if disclosed Hernandez who also testified during Erik and Lyle s first trial spoke about the abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called hallway rule When Jose was with one of the boys you couldn t even go up the stairs to be on the same floor Hernandez commented of the father Judge to rule on a lesser sentence Attorneys for the brothers must prove they have been rehabilitated in prison and deserve a lesser sentence of years to life That would make them eligible for parole under California s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of Their defense attorney Mark Geragos stated outside the court Tuesday that he wants the judge to reduce their charges to manslaughter and give them time served to allow them to be straightaway distributed At least seven family members are expected to testify at the hearings Los Angeles County prosecutors argued against the resentencing They say the brothers have not taken complete responsibility for the crime Geragos emphasized that the purpose of resentencing is to encourage rehabilitation That is the law Geragos commented not relitigate the facts of the crime as the D A wants to do Former district attorney and fami ly backing resentencing The previous LA County District Attorney George Gasc n had opened the door to achievable freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences His office revealed the affair would ve been handled differently at present due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma and the brothers rehabilitation over three decades in prison A resentencing petition laid out by Gasc n focuses on the brothers accomplishments and rehabilitation Since their conviction the brothers have gotten an schooling participated in self-help classes and started various backing groups for their fellow inmates A former judge who commented he considered himself tough on crime Jonathan Colby described the court that he was impressed with the programs the brothers started during their time in prison to provide aid and care for older and disabled inmates He got to know them over a series of prison visits There s not several prisoners I meet like Erik and Lyle that have such concern for the elderly he explained Former inmate Anerae Brown cried as he testified about how the brothers helped him heal and get on the path to rehabilitation leading to his release from prison He called the programs they started Menendez University I have children now he reported Without Lyle and Erik I might still be sitting in there doing stupid things The new LA prosecutor changed syllabus The current district attorney Nathan Hochman reported Tuesday that he believes the brothers are not ready for resentencing because they have not come clean about their crimes His office also has noted it does not believe they were sexually abused Our position is not no it s not never it s not yet Hochman announced They have not fully accepted responsibility for all their criminal conduct In recent months prosecutors cited the forensic psychologist s analysis that announced the brothers had of late broken prison rules by smuggling cellphones inside which Hochman argued demonstrated an inability to regulate their own behavior It came to the conclusion that they were moderately more likely than others to engage in violence in the neighborhood Hochman declared Hochman s office attempted twice to withdraw the resentencing petition but both attempts were rejected by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic He could decide on the resentencing from the bench or issue a written ruling later This story has been updated to correct the ruling was issued Tuesday not Friday and fixes the spelling of Baralt s first name Source