Kim Kardashian advocates for Menendez brothers’ sentence reconsideration

A new perspective on a notorious case

Nearly two weeks after Kim Kardashian’s advocacy work around prison reform led her to meet with Erik and Lyle Menendez, the reality TV star and business mogul is speaking out in hopes that the brothers’ life sentences can be reconsidered.

A closer look at the Menendez brothers

“I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters. 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,” Kardashian writes in an exclusive essay. “When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors. Twenty-four family members, including their parents’ siblings, have released statements fully supporting Lyle and Erik and have respectfully requested that the justice system free them.”

New evidence and renewed interest

The publication of Kardashian’s column comes as prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the case after attorneys for the Menendez brothers asked a court to vacate their conviction. Erik, now 53, and Lyle, 56, were convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, and later sentenced to life.

This renewed interest in the case coincides with the release of Ryan Murphy’s latest project on Netflix, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Kardashian’s involvement with the creative team, having starred in Murphy’s recent American Horror Story: Delicate, adds another layer to her advocacy. She even invited Monsters star Cooper Koch, who plays Erik, to accompany her to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County.

Unveiling the complexities

“You think you know the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. I certainly thought I did: In 1989, the brothers, aged 21 and 18, respectively, viciously shot and killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home. In 1996, after two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As is often the case, this story is much more complex than it appears on the surface. Both brothers said they had been sexually, physically, and emotionally abused for years by their parents,” writes Kardashian, who then goes on to detail what happened in the resulting criminal trial.

The media’s role and public perception

Kardashian also notes that the district attorney’s office responsible for the Menendez case also handled the O.J. Simpson case when he was charged with the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Kardashian’s lawyer father, Robert Kardashian, served on O.J. Simpson’s successful defense team. She writes that the Menendez case “became entertainment for the nation” with their stories of abuse inspiring skits on Saturday Night Live.

“The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized eye candy — two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy,” she writes. “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. Can anyone honestly deny that the justice system would have treated the Menendez sisters more leniently?”

Reflecting on justice and punishment

In closing, Kardashian reveals that her hope is that their life sentences can be “reconsidered” for the sake of those little boys who “lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped, or saved.”

“The killings are not excusable. I want to make that clear. Nor is their behavior before, during, or after the crime,” she concludes. “But we should not deny who they are today in their 50s. The trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial killer than two individuals who endured years of sexual abuse by the very people they loved and trusted. I don’t believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case. Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different.”

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