Menendez brothers face resentencing on Tuesday after 30 years in prison

A high-profile resentencing hearing is set to begin on Tuesday in Los Angeles that could determine whether Erik and Lyle Menendez — convicted of killing their parents in 1989 — may eventually walk free after more than three decades in prison.

The two-day hearing comes after years of renewed public interest in the infamous case, which has inspired numerous books, documentaries, and a recent Netflix drama. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the court is reconsidering the brothers’ life-without-parole sentences, although their convictions are not being challenged.

The Menendez brothers were sentenced in 1996 for the brutal murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion. Prosecutors argued the brothers were motivated by greed, meticulously planning the murders to inherit the family's estimated USD 14 million fortune. The pair admitted to the killings but claimed they acted out of fear, citing years of alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at the hands of their father.

This week’s hearing will not be televised or streamed, and will not revisit the brothers’ guilt. Instead, the focus is on whether they have shown rehabilitation during their decades in prison — and whether their sentences should be reduced, potentially making them eligible for parole.

Testimony is expected from several witnesses, including family members, correctional officers, and behavioral experts. Erik and Lyle may also take the stand, although their attorney, Mark Geragos, said on his podcast that he has not yet decided whether they will testify.

"I know right now that I'm going to put family members on the stand," Geragos said. "I know right now, I'll put correctional officers on the stand. I know right now I may put behavioral scientists on the stand."

The district attorney’s office has not disclosed who it may call to testify. Prosecutors have strongly opposed resentencing, maintaining that the brothers have never shown genuine remorse and continue to “cling to lies” about their motives.

The original trial in the early 1990s captivated the country, in part because it was among the first to be broadcast live. The initial proceedings ended in a hung jury, but the brothers were convicted at a retrial in 1996. Much of their testimony about abuse was excluded from that second trial.

Interest in the case has surged again in recent years, prompting re-examinations of how the justice system handles claims of abuse, particularly from men.

Former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón had voiced support for resentencing the brothers. But his successor, Nathan Hochman, has taken a firmer stance, opposing any reduction in sentence and arguing the brothers have not demonstrated “true accountability.”

The hearing is expected to conclude Wednesday, with the judge delivering a decision on whether the life sentences will stand or be modified.