The Menendez brothers were tried twice. The first Menendez brothers trial ran from July 20, 1993, to January 28, 1994, and ended in a mistrial after both juries deadlocked. The second trial began on August 23, 1995, and ended on March 20, 1996, when Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder for killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, on August 20, 1989.
The First Trial: July 1993 to January 1994
Proceedings opened on July 20, 1993, in Van Nuys Superior Court, nearly four years after the killings and roughly three years after the brothers’ arrests in March 1990. Court TV carried the trial almost in full, and it became one of the earliest criminal cases to receive continuous live television coverage.
Two separate juries were seated, one for each brother, so evidence specific to one defendant would not prejudice the other’s jury. The defense argued imperfect self-defense, with both brothers testifying that years of sexual and physical abuse by their father made them fear for their lives. The prosecution argued the motive was money, pointing to the brothers’ spending after their parents’ deaths.
On January 28, 1994, after weeks of deliberation, both juries deadlocked. Reports indicated jurors split over whether the killings were murder or the lesser charge of manslaughter. Judge Stanley Weisberg declared a mistrial.
The Second Trial: August 1995 to March 1996
The retrial began on August 23, 1995, again before Judge Weisberg. Two changes reshaped the case. Weisberg replaced the dual-jury setup with a single jury deciding both brothers’ fates together, and he barred much of the abuse testimony that had anchored the first defense. Without that testimony, the imperfect self-defense argument had little foundation.
On March 20, 1996, the jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of first-degree murder for each brother, along with convictions for conspiracy to commit murder under California Penal Code Section 182. The underlying murder charges were brought under California Penal Code Section 187.
Sentencing in July 1996
The penalty phase ran through April 1996, and jurors chose life in prison over the death penalty. On July 2, 1996, Judge Weisberg formally sentenced Lyle and Erik Menendez to life in prison without the possibility of parole, imposing two consecutive life terms on each brother.
They were separated shortly after sentencing. On September 10, 1996, the brothers saw each other for the last time before being placed in separate vans and sent to different facilities. They did not see each other again until April 4, 2018, when Lyle was transferred to R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego, where Erik had been held since 2013.
The 2025 Resentencing Hearing
The case returned to court nearly three decades later. In October 2024, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced he would recommend resentencing, citing the brothers’ rehabilitation, evolving understanding of sexual violence, and newly surfaced evidence including a 1988 letter Erik wrote to a cousin describing ongoing abuse.
Nathan Hochman replaced Gascón as District Attorney in early 2025 and withdrew the resentencing motion, arguing the brothers had not shown “full insight” into their crimes because they continued to maintain their self-defense claims. Hochman did not oppose the court proceeding on its own.
On May 13, 2025, Judge Michael Jesic resentenced both brothers, reducing their punishment from life without parole to 50 years to life. The new sentence made them eligible for parole for the first time.
Where the Case Stands Now
Eligibility was not release. Both brothers still needed approval from California’s parole board, and separate hearings later in 2025 denied release for both Erik and Lyle. Lyle was told he could seek parole again in as little as 18 months with good behavior, or three years otherwise. After more than 35 years in custody, the brothers remain at R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility.