Menendez brothers all smiles in latest mugshots as Los Angeles DA recommends reduced sentences
California authorities have released a pair of new mugshots of the Menendez brothers as they've crossed a major threshold in their effort to have their sentences of life imprisonment without parole reduced – and they're all smiles.
Erik and Joseph "Lyle" Menendez killed their parents, Jose and Mary "Kitty" Menendez, in a bloody 1989 shotgun massacre, opening fire from behind while the two were watching TV in their Beverly Hills living room.
According to their defense team, the brothers killed their dad because they were afraid he would be the one to kill them after they threatened to expose him as a child sex abuser.
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Prosecutors at trial convinced the jurors in 1995 that the motive was greed, not fear for their lives, but present day Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said Thursday he would ask a judge to reduce their sentences, clearing the way to potential release from prison.
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"After very careful review of all the arguments… I came to a place where I believe that, under the law, resentencing is appropriate, and I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow," Gascon told reporters Thursday afternoon.
A judge has to approve his new recommendation before it goes to the state parole board, which must then schedule hearings within six months. If the parole board approves their release, then Gov. Gavin Newsom has final say.
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Kitty Menendez's brother and sister, now both in their 90s, are on opposite sides in their nephews' fight for freedom.
Milton Andersen, 90, vehemently opposes a reduced sentence and on Wednesday asked the judge overseeing the case to keep his nephews in prison for the rest of their lives.
Joan Andersen VanderMolen, 92, is among two dozen relatives who have publicly called for the brothers' release.