Kim Kardashian is championing the release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, pushing for their freedom after visiting them behind bars and highlighting an allegedly transformative piece of evidence.
Convicted in 1996 for the murder of their parents, the Menendez brothers’ case is once again in the limelight, partly due to Kardashian’s passionate essaying in NBC News and the recent spotlight from a Netflix series titled “Monsters.”
In her essay, Kardashian shares her encounters with the brothers, portraying them as “kind, intelligent, and honest men.”
“Can anyone honestly deny that the justice system would have treated the Menendez sisters more leniently? Despite overwhelming family testimony acknowledging the abuse Erik and Lyle suffered, the public remained skeptical. Robbed of their childhoods by their parents, then robbed of any chance of freedom by a criminal justice system eager to punish them without considering the context or understanding the “why,” and without caring about whether the punishment fit the crime, Erik and Lyle were condemned before the trial even began,” Kardashian wrote.
The push to revisit their life sentences comes after the discovery of a 1988 letter from Erik Menendez to a cousin, which allegedly describes abuse by their father.
The evidence is part of what Kardashian, a law student and criminal justice reform advocate, hopes will initiate a fresh look at their sentences.
“We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved,” Kim Kardashian wrote.
The brothers, then young adults at 21 and 18, committed the act in their Beverly Hills home, igniting a high-profile legal saga.
Both described enduring years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by their parents, a defense used throughout their trials.
This newfound attention coincides with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s recent decision to grant a court hearing in November, prompted by the presentation of fresh evidence against their father, Jose Menendez.
Kim Kardashian reflects on the broader implications of growth and experience in her statement.
“We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be,” Kim Kardashian said.