Thanks to Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series about the murders that sent them to prison, Lyle and Erik Menendez are back in the spotlight — with Kim Kardashian using her fame to call for the brothers’ release, and Los Angeles D.A. George Gascón likewise announcing that he’s weighing whether to free them from prison. The brothers have also become a surprise flashpoint in the D.A. race in L.A.
At first, I didn’t think much of it when Murphy — who’s been quite big-headed in public statements about the new season of his Monsters anthology — added his voice to the fray and speculated that the brothers would be out by Christmas. But two Change.org petitions, which have collectively garnered almost half a million signatures, have convinced me otherwise. At least in terms of underscoring how public sentiment has swung in favor of the brothers, who were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for killing their parents.
The primary Change.org petition, which calls for a new trial for the brothers, has garnered more than 402,000 supporters as of this writing. “The original trial contained information, evidence and testimonies that caused a mistrial, of which I firmly believe was and is the truth,” the petition reads. “The second trial removed that defense evidence in ignorance of child sexual abuse statistics & lack of humaneness making all given information useless in the final prosecution.”
The petition goes on to call for a retrial based on new evidence, taking into consideration the brothers’ claims of abuse as well as legal reforms made possible by California’s AB593 legislation. An upcoming November 29 hearing, during which LA County prosecutors will review new evidence, has added new urgency to supporters’ efforts.
The second Change.org petition, meanwhile, goes all the way and calls for the brothers’ freedom. It’s garnered almost 72,000 signatures so far. “The law only recognized their action of murder, not accounting for the abuse and suffering, that led them to that point,” the petition reads. “This was an injustice but it’s not over, let’s undo the terrible wrong done to the Menendez brothers and make sure, that abuse like this is never tolerated again anywhere!”
