Reality TV Superstar Wants Famous Murderers Released From Prison

Like many of us, Kim Kardashian likely has the Menendez brothers fresh in her mind due to the recently released true-crime drama series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The Netflix original show, which was developed for the streamer by Ryan Murphy, depicts a dramatized version of the brothers’ crimes and ensuing media frenzy surrounding their 1989 murder trial. For those that missed the story, the Menendez brothers were convicted of murdering their mother and father in a 1996 double homicide, which the siblings maintain to this day was committed in self-defense.

According to the brothers’ defense, they were physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by their parents throughout their youth, and only killed Jose and Kitty Menendez after the pair had made clear their intentions to murder the adult children.

The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the murders and are now 53 and 56, respectively. While Kim Kardashian has argued that the actions of the Menendez brothers were not excusable, she claims that they have come a long way in rehabilitation, and should have been given a lighter sentence back in 1989 due to the complicated and violent relationship they shared with their parents.

Kim Kardashian isn’t just speaking as an uninformed television viewer either, as she is a noted law school graduate with a long history of advocating for prisoners’ rights and criminal justice reform. Apparently, Kim Kardashian even visited the Menendez brothers recently to speak with them in person and has since described their calm, kind, and pleasant demeanor.

In her letter to NBC, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star argued that the brothers, who are nearing 60 years of age, are no longer the victimized children they once were, and are fully capable of living normal non-violent lives in the outside world.

While not everyone agrees with Kim Kardashian’s perspective on the Menendez brothers’ case, Los Angeles prosecutors have received an overwhelming amount of requests demanding that they review new evidence on the brothers’ behalf.

Though district attorney George Gascón has confirmed that their guilt is not expected to be overturned, the brothers may be up for a discussion regarding resentencing, which lightens or eliminates the future of their incarceration. Lawmakers far and wide tend to agree that the brothers’ case would be handled quite differently today, due to our increased focus on saving children from abusive homes.

So, whether you enjoyed Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story or not, it seems clear that the series has made a major impact on the world around us. For now, there’s no telling if Kim Kardashian’s letter will assist the Menendez brothers in any meaningful way, though she has had success in freeing prisoners in the past.

Source: The Guardian