Family members stand behind Lyle and Erik Menendez as they await a decision that could see them released from prison

As Lyle and Erik Menendez await a decision that could see them released from prison after more than 30 years, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is speaking out about new evidence that he says underscores the “cornerstone of their defense.”

As the Los Angeles County district attorney weighs new evidence that could see Lyle and Erik Menendez released from prison after more than 30 years, nearly two dozen of their relatives are expected to speak on their behalf at a news conference Wednesday. In 1996, the Menendez brothers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills home. Although they’ve never denied killing their parents, both men maintained during their trial that they acted in self-defense and suffered years of physical and sexual abuse from their father. Attorneys for the brothers have also argued that the judge overseeing the 1996 case did not allow much of the defense’s evidence of abuse to be presented to the jury. In 2023, attorneys representing the Menendez brothers filed a petition that argued they should be granted relief from their prison sentences based on new allegations that speak to Jose Menendez’s alleged pattern of sexual abuse, and a letter Erik Menendez wrote to a cousin that alludes to abuse he endured. In an interview with ABC that aired on Wednesday, Erik and Lyle’s cousin, Karen Vander MolenCopley, said she remembers noticing the boys’ demeanors change over the years.