Why Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez’s Resentencing Has Been Postponed

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How the Change of Los Angeles County's District Attorney Will Impact the Menendez Brothers' Case

Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez won't beryllium location for Christmas.

One period aft Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón formally recommended the brothers beryllium resentenced to adhd the anticipation of parole, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic has rescheduled the proceeding to Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, per NBC News.

Jesic ruled that the resentencing hearing—originally scheduled for Dec. 11will beryllium delayed to reappraisal 17 boxes of files and partially to give District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman to reappraisal the case, the outlet reported.

Per NBC News, portion the brothers were acceptable to articulation the proceeding virtually, a method "snafu" prevented them from appearing onscreen.

Lyle and Erik—who are presently serving beingness sentences without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents José Menendez and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez—made their archetypal nationalist quality successful years. Erik and Lyle were scheduled to look virtually from the San Diego prison, though determination were method issues with the feed.

However, since Gascón precocious mislaid his re-election to erstwhile U.S. Assistant Attorney General Hochman earlier this month, the transportation of powerfulness may reshape the office’s determination to determination forward with the lawsuit since California Governor Gavin Newsom said successful a property release that helium would not reappraisal their petition until aft the incoming D.A. makes the recommendation.

Hochman hasn't shared whether helium would enactment the October proposal but did stress that helium volition look astatine each the facts erstwhile he's successful office. 

"Was it a conscionable determination oregon was it conscionable a governmental ploy?" Hochman told NBC News Nov. 19. "That's wherefore I person to bash this thorough reappraisal of the facts and the instrumentality to marque definite that there's nary credibility problems with my decision." 

"We volition look astatine each the facts of the underlying crimes and what created those crimes," Hochman said. "But arsenic acold arsenic whether oregon not there's a taste displacement oregon not, that's successful immoderate ways irrelevant for whether oregon not the facts successful the instrumentality successful the Menendez lawsuit warrant a resentencing and, if so, what that resentencing should be."

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Meanwhile, Gascón asserted that his re-election bid didn't play immoderate relation successful his enactment for resentencing. The merchandise of Ryan Murphy's series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story—starring Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Cooper Koch, Chloë Sevigny and Javier Bardem—and Netflix's consequent doc renewed nationalist involvement surrounding the case.  

However, helium revealed during the L.A. Times October statement against Hochman that the publicity simply expedited their hearing, initially acceptable for Nov. 29.

"When a caller Netflix documentary came out, we instantly started getting bombarded with media requests and calls due to the fact that the lawsuit came backmost again to the surface," helium explained of the hearing, which stemmed from a habeas petition filed by the brothers successful 2023. "The determination was made that alternatively than reply 1 media petition astatine a time, we would really conscionable travel retired and precise intelligibly accidental wherever we are."

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And Gascón emphasized that the determination was not made lightly. 

"There are radical successful the bureau that powerfully judge that the Menendez brothers should enactment successful situation the remainder of their life, and they bash not judge that they were molested," helium shared during the Oct. 24 property conference. "And determination are radical successful the bureau that powerfully judge that they should beryllium released immediately, and that they were, successful fact, molested."

Ultimately, his bureau recommended that the brothers, who were convicted successful 1996, beryllium sentenced to 50 years successful situation with the anticipation of parole. While Erik’s woman Tammi Menendez commended the decision, it was inactive bittersweet for their loved ones, including Lyle’s woman Rebecca Sneed as they hoped for much leniency.

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"Yesterday was a hard and affectional day," Tammi wrote connected X pursuing the news. "I americium Grateful to DA Gascon for his courageousness to question re-sentencing for Erik. I americium people disappointed helium did not spell further and enactment connected his ain content that Erik and Lyle person served capable clip successful prison."

Read connected to larn much astir the brothers' idiosyncratic lives, including their relationships.

(E! News and NBC News are portion of the NBCUniversal family.)

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Anna Eriksson

Lyle Menendez, past 28, joined exemplary and salon receptionist Anna Eriksson connected July 2, 1996, the time helium and member Erik Menendez were sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole for the 1989 treble execution of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

Anna started penning to Lyle successful 1993 during his archetypal trial, which ended successful a mistrial, and past moved to California to beryllium adjacent him the pursuing year. She became a reliable beingness astatine the months-long retrial that began successful 1995 and resulted successful convictions successful March 1996, according to the Los Angeles Times.

They couldn't instrumentality their vows successful person, however, Lyle alternatively taking the plunge implicit talker phone, the groom successful custody and the bride successful the bureau of defence lawyer Leslie Abramson.

He seemingly hoped to beryllium capable to wed Anna successful person, erstwhile helium knew wherever he'd extremity up.

"We bash person a matrimony proceeding," California Correctional Institution spokesperson Lt. Jack Pitko told the LA Times in September 1996 erstwhile Lyle and Erik had been ordered to abstracted prisons. "There's a waiting list...But I don't spot wherefore helium shouldn't beryllium capable to get joined if helium follows each the rules."

Anna filed for divorcement successful 2001 after, according to aggregate reports from the time, she allegedly recovered retired Lyle was exchanging letters with different women.

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Rebecca Sneed

Lyle didn't unreserved into thing erstwhile helium joined writer Rebecca Sneed, reportedly 33 astatine the time, successful November 2003: He had known her for 10 years, archetypal done letters and yet from in-person visits, a situation spokesperson told the Associated Press successful confirming the nuptials.

The ceremonial took spot astatine Mule Creek State Prison adjacent Sacramento, wherever Lyle resided until helium was reunited with Erik successful 2018 astatine the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility successful confederate San Diego County.

"Our enactment tends to beryllium precise escaped of distractions and we astir apt person much intimate conversations than astir joined spouses do, who are distracted by life's events," Lyle told People in 2017. At the time, Rebecca was surviving successful Sacramento and was said to sojourn weekly.

"We effort and speech connected the telephone each day, sometimes respective times a day," Lyle added. "I person a precise steady, progressive matrimony and that helps prolong maine and brings a batch of bid and joy. It's a antagonistic to the unpredictable, precise stressful situation here."

Rebecca "put up with a lot," helium acknowledged. "But she has the courageousness to woody with the obstacles. It would beryllium easier to leave, but I'm profoundly grateful that she doesn't."

Kim Kulish/Sygma via Getty Images

The bloom has since travel disconnected the rose, however: Ahead of a determination connected whether Lyle and Erik should beryllium resentenced and perchance acceptable escaped successful the adjacent future, Rebecca confirmed that she and Lyle are separated.

"Lyle and I person been separated for a portion present but stay champion friends and family," she wrote Nov. 22 connected her authoritative Facebook page. "I proceed to tally his Facebook pages, with input from him, and I americium everlastingly committed to the enduring combat for Lyle and Erik’s freedom, arsenic has been truthful evident implicit the years."

She added, "I'll proceed to update you each connected the advancement of the lawsuit due to the fact that I judge we each person the communal extremity of seeing the guys locomotion free! I volition ne'er halt warring for them."

And due to the fact that tabloid rumors don't halt extracurricular the situation gates, the station besides noted, "This is NOT a cheating scandal."

Chris Morton/Getty Images

Tammi Saccoman 

Erik's woman Tammi Menendez, present 62, was joined to Chuck Saccoman when she archetypal spied the younger Menendez member connected TV successful 1993 and felt a peculiar spot successful her bosom for the 22-year-old execution defendant.

As she later told People, she informed her hubby she was going to constitute to Erik and Chuck gave her his blessing.

"I saw Tammi's missive and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I acceptable this 1 aside. I got a feeling," Erik told the publication. "And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed penning to her. It was a dilatory friendship. It was peculiar to maine due to the fact that it was not associated with the proceedings and the media. Tammi was idiosyncratic not successful the craziness."

However, arsenic Tammi elaborate successful her 2005 publication They Said We'd Never Make It: My Life With Erik Menendez, she doubted the brothers' maltreatment defence astatine first. (And she told MSNBC that Erik mentioned having a woman of respective years aboriginal on.)

But successful 1996, arsenic Tammi has elaborate successful her publication and interviews, she recovered retired that Chuck had abused her teenage girl from a erstwhile relationship. (They besides shared a then-9-month-old daughter.)

Chuck turned himself into constabulary and died by termination 2 days later, according to People.

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After Chuck died, "I reached retired to Erik," she told the work successful 2005. "He comforted me. Our letters started taking connected a much superior tone."

Tammi admitted she was "really nervous" erstwhile she yet met Erik successful idiosyncratic astatine Folsom State Prison successful August 1997.

"Erik had nary thought what I looked like; I'd lone sent him a tiny, 1-by-1 picture," she explained. "But erstwhile helium walked into the room, helium was truthful afloat of life, helium hopped down the stairs. It was similar I was gathering an aged friend."

They joined successful 1999, a Twinkie serving arsenic their wedding cake. 

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And they've been unneurotic ever since, though Tammi has acknowledged that the deficiency of conjugal visits tin beryllium tough.

"A buss erstwhile you travel in, a buss erstwhile you leave," she described the regular connected MSNBC successful December 2005. 'You tin clasp hands and that portion of it is precise difficult, and radical don't understand."

Erik said helium tried not to deliberation astir what was past the likelihood that helium would never get retired of prison.

“Tammi is what gets maine through," helium told People in 2005. "I can't deliberation astir the sentence. When I do, I bash it with a large sadness and a primal fear. I interruption into a acold sweat. It's truthful frightening I conscionable haven't travel to presumption with it."

But connected a much optimistic note, Tammi had besides taught him "how to beryllium a bully husband," Erik said. "There is nary constitution sex, lone a 15-minute telephone call, truthful you truly person to effort to marque things work."

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