Lyle and Erik Menendez returned to the spotlight on Tuesday as a Los Angeles court began hearings that could dramatically alter the brothers’ fate—potentially ending their life sentences for the 1989 murders of their wealthy Beverly Hills parents.

Now aged 57 and 54, the Menendez brothers are seeking reduced sentences that would either allow for their immediate release or make them eligible for parole, more than three decades after their convictions rocked the nation.

At the heart of the case is newly presented evidence supporting the brothers’ long-standing claim: that they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, Jose Menendez, a powerful music industry executive. Defense lawyers argue this trauma, combined with emotional abuse from their mother, led the brothers—then aged 21 and 18—to fear for their lives.

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon had backed a re-sentencing petition last year, citing the fresh abuse evidence and the brothers’ clean prison records. He argued they qualify for relief under California’s youthful offender statute, which covers those under 26 at the time of their crimes.

However, current DA Nathan Hochman has taken a sharply opposing stance. He contends the Menendez brothers still fail to fully accept responsibility for the murders and that their crimes were premeditated, driven by a desire to inherit their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

The Menendez case captivated the public in the 1990s, with televised trials and a wave of media coverage. After a hung jury in the first trial, the second ended in 1996 with both brothers convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.

Now, the defense is bolstered by a letter Erik allegedly wrote to a cousin eight months before the murders, describing his father’s sexual abuse. Additional support comes from a member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, who alleged that Jose Menendez also abused him—a claim featured in a 2023 Peacock documentary that reignited national interest in the case. A Netflix dramatization further stirred debate about whether justice was truly served.

The re-sentencing hearing, expected to last two days, could bring a new chapter to one of America’s most notorious true crime sagas. Whether it leads to parole or maintains the life sentences will rest on the court’s interpretation of this new evidence and the brothers’ culpability.