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Convicted murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez are not a danger to society, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
The Menendez brothers, who are serving life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty, have been back in the public eye since the release of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
In a new interview with People, Gascón was asked whether he considered the pair dangerous and replied: “Based on everything that I know, I don’t believe that they are.
“Quite frankly, they probably haven’t been for a very long time, if they ever were. I think this is not like they were going around killing people or robbing people on the street.”
In the interview, Gascón said he planned to make a decision on whether to recommend resentencing the brothers by the end of the week, after after he discusses the case with his office’s habeas and resentencing units. A judge will ultimately decide their fate.
“I’ll be listening to not only the briefing, but recommendations from both teams,” said Gascón. “That also plays a role. Because they’re not just sort of an agnostic presenter. They’re going to be presenting what they think should be the outcome. I expect one will be saying, ‘No relief,’ one will be saying, ‘Yes, provide relief,’ and I’ll evaluate both of them.”
Earlier this month, Kim Kardashian called for the brothers to be released, weeks after the reality star visited them in prison.
In a personal essay for NBC News, Kardashian wrote: “We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I’m not!”
The Kardashians star went on to argue that the case against the brothers is “much more complex than it appears on the surface.”
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She argued that the sexual, physical and emotional abuse the pair claimed they suffered at the hands of their parents was not adequately taken into account and that media attention around the case meant “Erik and Lyle had no chance of a fair trial.”
While she acknowledged that “the killings are not excusable,” Kardashian said she believes “the trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial killer than two individuals who endured years of sexual abuse by the very people they loved and trusted.”
Kardashian is a longtime advocate for criminal justice reform and is reported to have discussed prison reform with the inmates during her prison visit.
Monsters stars Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as José and Kitty, with Cooper Koch and Nicholas Chavez as the brothers.
Since the series arrived on Netflix, viewers have been cautioning others on social media about the graphic nature of the violence depicted in the show.
