Honestly, if you grew up in the 90s, you remember the sweaters. You remember the court TV cameras and the "rich kids who killed their parents for the inheritance" narrative that basically took over the world. But things look a lot different in 2026. After decades of sitting in a cell with no hope of getting out, Lyle and Erik Menendez are closer to home than they've ever been.
It isn't just because of a Netflix show.
The legal system doesn't care about TikTok trends or documentaries, even though those definitely helped change the public's vibe. What actually matters is the new evidence Menendez brothers lawyers brought to the table—specifically a dusty letter and a bombshell affidavit from a former boy band star.
The Letter That Changed Everything
For years, the prosecution’s biggest weapon was the idea that the brothers "made up" the abuse stories after they got caught. They called it the "abuse excuse." But in 2023, a letter surfaced that kind of flips that script.
Erik wrote it to his cousin, Andy Cano, in December 1988. That’s eight months before the shootings happened. In the letter, Erik talks about how he was trying to avoid his dad and that "it’s still happening." He literally wrote, "I'm afraid. He's crazy."
Think about that for a second.
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If this letter is real—and the defense has fought hard to prove it is—it means the abuse wasn't a story cooked up by a defense lawyer in 1990. It was a 17-year-old kid crying out for help long before a shotgun was ever purchased. The letter was found in a crawl space by Andy’s mother, Maria Cano, years after Andy had already passed away.
The Menudo Connection
Then you’ve got Roy Rosselló.
If you weren't around then, Menudo was a massive Puerto Rican boy band (where Ricky Martin got his start). Jose Menendez was a big-shot executive at RCA Records, the label that signed them. In a sworn declaration, Rosselló says Jose drugged and raped him in the 80s when he was just a teenager.
This is huge.
Why? Because during the second trial in 1996, the judge basically blocked a lot of the abuse testimony. The jury never got to hear that Jose Menendez might have had a pattern of doing this to other kids outside the family. It makes the brothers' claims of "imperfect self-defense"—the idea that they killed because they genuinely believed their lives were in immediate danger—a lot more believable to a modern legal mind.
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Resentencing: Where We Stand Right Now
The legal path has been a total roller coaster.
Last year, former DA George Gascón recommended the brothers be resentenced. He basically said, look, they’ve served 35 years, they were young, and we understand trauma better now. But then the political winds shifted. Nathan Hochman took over the DA office, and things got complicated.
As of early 2026, the brothers have already seen a massive win. In May 2025, a judge actually granted the resentencing. They were shifted from "Life Without Parole" to a sentence that allows for the possibility of parole.
It wasn't a "get out of jail free" card, though.
They had to go before a parole board. In late 2025, their first attempt at immediate release was actually denied. The board acknowledged their rehabilitation—Lyle’s work with prison beautification and Erik’s work with hospice patients—but the state is moving slowly.
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Current Legal Status Breakdown:
- The Habeas Petition: A judge recently rejected the bid for a new trial based on the new evidence, saying it wasn't "strong enough" to guarantee a different verdict in 1996.
- The Sentence: They are no longer "Life Without Parole" (LWOP). They are now eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender laws because they were under 26 at the time of the crime.
- The Governor: Governor Gavin Newsom has the power of clemency, but he’s been waiting for the local courts to finish their dance before stepping in.
Why Does This Still Matter?
Some people think they should stay in forever. They say, "They killed two people in cold blood, period." Others look at the new evidence Menendez brothers have presented and see two victims of horrific trauma who were failed by a 90s legal system that didn't believe boys could be raped.
The reality is likely somewhere in the messy middle.
The "new" evidence isn't just about whether they did it. They’ve never denied pulling the trigger. It’s about the degree of the crime. If the jury in the 90s had seen Erik’s letter and heard from Roy Rosselló, would they have convicted them of first-degree murder? Or would it have been manslaughter? If it was manslaughter, they would have been home twenty years ago.
What Happens Next
The case is currently in a holding pattern of parole hearings and potential clemency. If you're following this, there are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Parole Board Appeals: Their legal team is appealing the 2025 parole denial, arguing that the brothers pose zero risk to society today.
- Clemency: Watch the Governor’s office. If the parole board keeps dragging its feet, Newsom might feel the pressure to sign a commutation.
- Documentary Fallout: Expect more witnesses to potentially come forward now that the "seal" has been broken by Rosselló.
If you want to understand the full scope of the case, look into the transcripts of the first trial versus the second. The differences in what the jury was allowed to hear are staggering. You can also follow the updates from the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) regarding their status at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
The story isn't over. Not by a long shot.