Kim Kardashian became an advocate for two convicted 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ers after seeing the new Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
The influencer, 44, who said the decision to resentence the brothers after nearly 35 years behind bars, ‘granted a second chance’ to the men convicted of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing their parents.
Ryan Murphy, 58, who created the show, explained The Kardashians star’s role in helping the men received a chance at freedom.
‘Kim Kardashian called me a month before the show came out (September 21) and asked to see it, and I said, “sure,”‘ the six-time Emmy winner said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
‘She’s a friend, and she is somebody who’s very into prison reform, and she instantly got involved,’ he explained,
Kim Kardashian, 44, became an advocate for two convicted 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ers after seeing the new Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, according to show creator Ryan Murphy (Pictured in New York City in September)
After viewers saw the series, which examines the events leading up to the August 1989 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing of Kitty and Jose Menendez in their Beverly Hills home, they too began to contact California authorities.
‘The DA and the governor’s office were flooded with a lot of reactions from people who had big opinions about the show,’ Murphy said on a panel at the Netflix FYC event Saturday November 2 in Los Angeles.
‘That was always the purpose of the show, to show different complicated points of view,’ Murphy said.
‘I thought really what it did about raising and asking questions about 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse was very, very powerful.’ The brothers’ defense argued during they had been the victims of 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse by their father.
Their first trial ended with jurors deadlocked. They were convicted and sentenced to life without parole following a second trial.
‘I think, love it or not,’ said Murphy, ‘There’s a movement with young people who want to talk about that in a way that wasn’t available in 1989.’
‘Whether you believe them or not is kind of beside the point,’ the executive producer stated, explaining he wanted the series to ‘launch a conversation about that topic.’
‘And people were really drawn to it, and a lot of people got involved and made their opinions known after they watched the show, which was very, very interesting.’
Erik and Lyle Mendez were sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers have spent nearly 35 years behind bars following their 1996 conviction
‘Kim Kardashian called me a month before the show came out (September 21) and asked to see it, and I said, “sure,”‘ explained show creator Ryan Murphy at the Netflix FYC event in Los Angeles Saturday, per The Hollywood Reporter (Pictured in New York City in September)
The Kardashians star ended up meeting with the Menendez brothers and writing an essay calling for their release from prison (Pictured in New York City in September)
Kardashian went so far as to write an essay calling for the brothers to be released.
‘I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters,’ she wrote. ‘They are kind, intelligent, and honest men.’
‘In prison, they both have exemplary disciplinary records. They have earned multiple college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice, and been mentors in college programs — committed to giving back to others.’
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has said he would recommend a new sentence of 50 years to life, making it possible for them to be paroled as youthful offenders. Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21 at the time the crimes were committed.
Kardashian went so far as to write an essay calling for the brothers to be released. ‘I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters,’ she wrote. ‘They are kind, intelligent, and honest men.’ A resentencing hearing is scheduled in December
If the judge agrees with Gascón’s recommendation at the December 11 hearing, the next step is a hearing before the California Parole Board. A decision could take as long at six months, according to CBS affiliate KFMB.
If the Parole Board rules in favor of the release, the matter would go to the desk of California governor Gavin Newsom, who will have up to 150 days to decide.
Another possibility is a habeas corpus proceeding scheduled for November 26. During that hearing, the Menendez’s attorneys will argue a letter to a cousin detailing the 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse prior to the 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ings should be allowed into evidence, along with an affidavit from former Roy Rosselló that Jose Menendez raped him.
The defense team has also submitted a petition for clemency to Governor Newsom.
