Menendez brothers have three routes to freedom: lawyers

Lawyers for Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers who killed their parents in the family's plush Beverly Hills home in 1989, said Wednesday the pair have three routes to freedom, as an effort to get them released from life in prison gathers pace.

The brothers were jailed for life following a blockbuster trial that gripped the United States and grabbed headlines around the world.

Prosecutors at the time argued that the two had plotted to murder Jose and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez in a bid to hasten their access to a $14 million (P815.4 million) inheritance.

But supporters said they were the victims of sustained sexual and physical abuse, and had snapped after years of suffering at the hands of a tyrannical father.

Their case has received renewed attention in recent months because of the Netflix crime drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

A spokesperson for attorney Mark Geragos said the brothers have a hearing next month at which they will ask for their murder convictions to be changed to manslaughter.

If successful, the pair could be released immediately, having already served more than 34 years—three times the usual sentence for manslaughter.

A separate hearing in December, backed by Los Angeles' chief prosecutor, will be an attempt to reduce their current sentence of life without parole to one of 50 years.

That would make Erik Menendez, now 53, and Lyle Menendez, now 56, eligible for release—if a parole board later agrees that they qualify.

Their third route is an appeal to California's governor for clemency for their crime, which Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said Wednesday he backed.

"I strongly support clemency for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving sentences of life without possibility of parole," said Gascon.

"They have respectively served 34 years and have continued their educations and worked to create new programs to support the rehabilitation of fellow inmates."

A request for clemency was submitted on Monday by the men's lawyers, Gascon said, and his office has sent letters of support to Governor Gavin Newsom.

Last week, Gascon—who is facing a tough re-election battle—announced he would ask a court to re-sentence the brothers in a way that would make them eligible for immediate release. (AFP)