On October 20, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón voiced his endorsement of Erik and Lyle Menendez's plea for clemency from California Governor Gavin Newsom. This announcement arrived just days after the brothers, aged 53 and 56 respectively, have been incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole for the tragic shotgun murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.
"I lend my unwavering support to Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving sentences of life imprisonment without hope of parole," Gascón declared in a press release. "Having each spent 34 years behind bars, they have dedicated themselves to education and the development of programs aimed at facilitating the rehabilitation of their fellow inmates."
This declaration of support followed the submission of a clemency request by Erik and Lyle's legal team on October 28. The fate of this request now rests in the hands of Governor Newsom, 57, for his consideration, as outlined in the release.
Prior to this, Gascón had already expressed his support for the Menendez brothers' attempts to secure resentencing, stating in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on October 22 that he did not consider them a threat to society. "Given all the information at hand, I do not believe they pose a danger," he remarked. "Frankly, if they ever did, it has been a very long time since. Their actions are far removed from those who prey on and rob others on the streets."
On October 25, Gascón's office announced its intention to petition the Los Angeles Superior Court judge to resentence Lyle and Erik to a term of 50 years to life, noting that as they were under 26 at the time of the murder, they qualified as "youthful offenders" eligible for parole.
On August 20, 1989, in the den of their Beverly Hills home,Erik, then 18, and Lyle, 21, used 12-gauge shotguns to end the lives of their parents. The brothers claimed that the murders were a result of years of sexual abuse by their father, Jose, the chief operating officer of RCA Records, which their mother, a former pageant queen, had allegedly ignored.
"They have been imprisoned for almost 35 years," Gascón emphasized to PEOPLE about the brothers. "I believe they have fulfilled their obligation to society." During their incarceration, he continued, "they embarked on a different path—a voyage of redemption and rehabilitation."
A court hearing has been scheduled for December 11, as per the press release issued on Wednesday.
