Kim Kardashian has called for the release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents.
“I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters,” the criminal justice advocate and “American Horror Story: Delicate” actress wrote in a Thursday op-ed for NBC News.
Kardashian visited the brothers at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego three weeks ago. “One of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors,” she shared.
“They are kind, intelligent and honest men,” Kardashian added, noting their work as caregivers for elderly inmates in hospice.
“Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different … I also strongly believe that they were denied a fair second trial,” she said, referring to the 1996 legal proceedings in which both brothers were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
“Back then, there were limited resources for victims of sexual abuse, particularly for boys. There were virtually no systems in place to support survivors, and public awareness of the trauma of male sexual abuse was minimal, often clouded by preconceived judgments and homophobia,” Kardashian continued. “Can anyone honestly deny that the justice system would have treated the Menendez sisters more leniently?”
She further noted that the brothers were “robbed of their childhoods by their parents” and “robbed of any chance of freedom” by a justice system that did not adequately examine the “why” behind the crimes. “Erik and Lyle were condemned before the trial even began,” she wrote.
She also cited a statement from 24 Menendez family members, including siblings of Jose and Kitty Menendez, asking for Erik and Lyle’s release.
“With their case back in the spotlight — and considering the revelation of a 1988 letter from Erik to his cousin describing the abuse — my hope is that Erik and Lyle Menendez’s life sentences are reconsidered,” Kardashian wrote.
“We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved,” she concluded.
Earlier on Thursday, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced a resentencing hearing for the brothers scheduled for Nov. 29, which may result in their release, a new trial or may not affect their current sentences.
“Monsters” is now streaming on Netflix.
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