Kim Kardashian and other celebrities who have shown support for Menendez Brothers amid their resentencing after 35 years 

On May 13, a Los Angeles judge gave Lyle and Erik Menendez a new sentence of 50 years to life in prison, making them eligible for parole.

The brothers allegedly killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills house using a shotgun in 1989. Jose was a music and film executive and was head of RCA Records.

According to the brothers, the action was taken in self-defense to protect themselves from their father, who sexually abused them for years while their mother didn't stop him.

After the incident, Erik and Lyle were sentenced to first-degree murder in 1996, resulting in life in prison. In 2024, Netflix released a new documentary named Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which became a hit. The brothers got support from many celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Cooper Koch, and Ryan Murphy.

After the efforts of their lawyers, Judge Michael Jesic decided to reduce their prison sentencing to fifty years, which makes them now eligible for parole.

Kim Kardashian and other celebrities support the Menendez Brothers

After the release of the Netflix documentary, Kim Kardashian uploaded a story on her Instagram, supporting the brothers. The caption of the post read:

"It’s time for the Menendez brothers to be freed. 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! You think you know the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. I certainly thought I did."

The brothers also got support from Cooper Koch, who played the role of Erik Menendez in the series. The actor was seen attending their April 2025 resentencing hearing and publicly advocating for their release. Cooper also visited the brothers in prison along with Kim Kardashian.

In an interview with Variety, Koch supported the brothers by saying:

"They’re such upstanding individuals. They’ve done so much work in their prison. Erik teaches meditation and speech classes, and they’re doing this Greenspace project to improve the prison grounds. It was just amazing."

Additionally, the Menendez brothers received support from Rosie O’Donnell, who has long advocated for them. She even visited them in prison, spoke with Lyle regularly, and featured him on her podcast, Onward.

Co-created by Ryan Murphy, the director of the series, also issued a statement in their support in a Netflix interview by saying:

"I think it’s very difficult to have your lives splashed all over the world, but I think that [the show is] doing a really wonderful job of having people talk about their case, talk about their innocence or their guilt, talk about [whether they] should have another trial, should they be freed?"

The California parole board will decide if they can be released. A hearing is also scheduled for June.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback