This post includes descriptions of child sexual abuse.
For over 30 years, the infamous Menendez brothers have tried to prove their innocence, after being convicted of the murders of their parents.
Erik and Lyle Menendez, have now spent most of their lives behind bars.
The high-profile case was broadcast to millions in the '90s — the world was awash with opinions about the brothers' tearful testimony.
Now, new evidence has come to light. The brothers, and their legal team, hope it might be the ticket to their freedom.
What did Erik and Lyle Menendez do?
On August 20, 1989, brothers Erik, 18, and Lyle, 22, killed their parents Mary Louise 'Kitty' and José Menendez in their family's Beverly Hills mansion.
The parents' cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
When police arrived on the scene, the brothers feigned innocence. For months investigators assumed the murders were mob-related, given José was a well-known entertainment executive at the time.
Then in March 1990, Erik and Lyle were arrested.
Erik and Lyle Menendez's motive to kill.
The prosecution claimed that Erik and Lyle were solely motivated by money to kill their wealthy parents. José had a fortune worth approximately $US14 million.
In the months following Kitty and José's murders, the brothers went on a shopping spree, buying businesses, sports cars, luxury goods and more.
The defence argued a different position.
The Menendez brothers have long alleged that they acted in self-defence.
After their arrest, the brothers confessed to shooting their parents, and Erik's lawyer claimed the brothers had been pushed to the crime out of fear for their lives.
The brothers testified that José had molested Lyle from the ages of six to eight, and Erik from ages six to 18. They also testified about their mother's neglect regarding the sexual and physical abuse.
The Menendez brothers' court cases.
The first murder trial began in 1993. After months of testimony, there were two separate hung juries.
A retrial began in 1995, with Erik and Lyle tried in front of a single jury and without any cameras inside the courtroom.
At a time when male sexual assault victims were often brushed off and pushed aside, many have now pointed out the troubling sentiments that reflected sexual abuse ignorance of the time.
During the trial, prosecutor Pam Bozanich argued that "men could not be raped because they lack the necessary equipment to be raped".
The judge ruled that the defence had not adequately provided proof of the brothers' prolonged abuse at the hands of their father.
In 1996, the Menendez brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder and were sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
New evidence.
In court papers obtained by Los Angeles Magazine, two new pieces of evidence are cited that seem to point to the brothers' abuse allegations.
The first is the allegations made by a former member of the 1980s boy band, Menudo, who claimed that he was drugged and sexually abused by José Menendez when he was a teenager.
The second piece of evidence is an alleged handwritten letter by Erik to his cousin in 1989, prior to the murder of José and Kitty, which details his abuse from his father.
Kim Kardashian, who has long been an advocate in the prison reform space, also recently visited the brothers in jail.
Kardashian was reportedly there to chat with the brothers about the Green Space project, which aims to make life in prison more closely resemble the outside world.
She helped Alice Johnson get released from a life sentence after reading about her story on X in October 2017. In May 2019, Kardashian then helped negotiate the release of another low-level drug offender from prison.
The lives of Erik and Lyle Menendez today.
The brothers are currently serving their sentences at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
They were separated for 20 years before being housed in the same prison recently. It's reported the brothers "burst into tears immediately" when reunited.
While behind bars, both brothers have found wives.
Lyle has been married to Rebecca Sneed for 21 years.
Erik has been married to Tammi Saccoman for 25 years. He told PEOPLE about their marriage: "Tammi's love has propelled me to become a better person. I want to be the greatest possible husband to her. And this affects the choices I make every day in prison."
This week, Erik slammed the new Netflix series that is centered on their story, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, by Ryan Murphy.
Some viewers have criticised its depiction of the case, specifically when it comes to depicting the brothers as "monsters".
In a statement from Erik shared by his wife via X, he said: "It is sad for me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women."
The statement continued: "How demoralising is it to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma. Violence is never an answer, never a solution, and is always tragic."
If this brings up any issues for you, contact Bravehearts, an organisation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse, on 1800 272 831.
Feature Image: Getty.