Transcript of Menendez brothers recommended for resentencing

They have been in prison for nearly 35 years. I believe that they have paid their debt to society. Tonight, Lyle and Eric Menendez one step closer to freedom decades after murdering their parents and being convicted to life in prison without parole. The LA County district attorney, George Gascón, announcing his recommendation for a resentencing 50 years to life with the possibility of parole, a parole they would possibly be immediately eligible for. I do believe that the brothers were subjected to a tremendous amount of dysfunction in the home and molestation. And he addressed the heart of the case, allegations the brothers were sexually abused by their father. I think there is also important to have some introspection today because I think that often for cultural reasons, we don't believe victims of sexual assault, whether they're women or whether they're men. Their family gathering for the latest development, rallying behind the brothers. This step gives us all hope that truth will finally be heard, and Eric and Lyle can begin to heal from the horrors of their past. The DA's decision reflects the truth that is hidden for so long, and I am grateful for his leadership in making this choice.

You are recommending that they be released essentially immediately. I am recommending that they be released because I believe that the people that they were at age 19 and 21 is not the same people that we're seeing 35 years later. The 93-year-old sister of Katie Menendez sitting in the front row. Just days ago, nearly 20 family members pleaded for their release. No jury today would issue such a harsh sentence without taking their trauma into account. I believe they have paid for their crimes, and we as a family have all suffered enough. The bombshell development, one the DA noted, is controversial even within his own office. There are people in this office that believe that they were never molested. I don't quite agree with that. There are people that believe that they should be in prison for the rest of their life. Based on their conduct, I don't believe that to be the case. The pivotal moment comes after shifting public opinion about the case, and a hit Netflix scripted series, Monsters, that thrust their story back into the spotlight this September. This is done. This is done. You understand? No more between you two. You were never to touch him.

Not ever. What's the problem? What's the problem? I'm sorry to kill my dad. Pardon me? I was going to kill It was from the jump, one of the biggest cases in Los Angeles and in the country. No one could believe that these two young men had killed their parents this way. It was a shocking Beverly Hills double murder. A prominent husband and wife gunned down by their own children in cold blood. Entertainment executive Jose Menendez and his wife were slain in the family room of their Beverly Hills mansion. Their sons burst in on them and opened fire repeatedly, over and over. Shotgun blasts to all parts of their body. The sharp-jawn, brooding brothers convicted and sentenced to life in prison without without the possibility of parole for the heinous crime. There was something deeply evil about it that scared people. I'm just a normal kid. Eric, you're a normal kid who killed your parents. I know. They get life with about the possibility of parole in their 20s. You are going to die in prison. How they killed their parents, Jose and Kenny, was always clear. But why they did it has divided and riveted the nation for decades.

Decades. Remember, this was not a who done it. This was why. Physical, verbal, psychological sexual abuse that went on for years. Lyle and Eric Menendez are stone cold murderers. Abuse does not justify a revenge killing. Never, never, ever, ever. Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang spoke with the Menendez brothers' cousin, Karen Van der Molen, earlier this month. There are some who argue that the The sex abuse was fabricated. Sure they do. They don't want to admit the truth. They were afraid that Jose really would kill people. The brothers said they feared for their lives when they shot their parents after Lyle threatened to expose their secret, their cousins backing up the allegations of abuse. He told me never to reveal it to anybody to promise him that I would keep it a secret between us. But prosecutors in 1993 said the abuse defense was fabricated, at one point even saying, men can't be raped. It's a people's position, first of all, that men cannot be raped since they lack the necessary equipment to actually be raped. That jury deadlocked. I find that the jury is hopeless deadlocked, and the Court declares a mistrial. At a second trial, severely limiting evidence of abuse, they were convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

Now, in the eyes of many, the Monenta's brothers have seemingly gone from public enemies to victims. Five to 10 years would have been enough. They didn't need to do a life without parole. ♪ Giving all the love I feel for you. ♪ Young people today want to stand up for victims of abuse. Justice reform advocate Kim Kardashian who visited the Brothers' Prison earlier this year, weighing in on today's decision, writing, This case highlights the importance of challenging decisions and seeking truth, even when guilt is not in question. Actor Rosie O'Donnell also friends with the Brothers and has long been an advocate for their release. They were not horrible kids. They were severely, sadistically tortured by a pedophile predator father and a very compliant and also involved mother who had no interest in them. Did your father have sexual contact with you? Yes. The Menendez Brothers saga now being looked at through a 21st century lens at a trauma barely understood at the time that men could to also be sexually abused, a reality explored by the former psychiatrist who treated the brothers back in the '90s. In the '80s and '90s, the public had very little knowledge about this type of sexual abuse, especially fathers abusing their own sons.

Back then, there were many people that just dismissed this outright. I don't think in the '90s, the world was ready for this type of case, especially the graphic nature of the description of sexual abuse. I have always thought that if the Menendez brothers were the Menendez sisters, they'd be free today. Would have been convicted. But an abuse victim often gets some clemency. This is not a child abuse trial. This is a murder trial. But some, like Alan Abramsson, who covered the trial for the LA Times, still believe the brothers killed for money the end that the jury got it right given their lavish spending spree. The parents were sitting in the den watching TV. Did they have any weapons? No. I thought that when Lyle described the killing of his mother, that a normal jury would find it reprehensible and convict him. We loved our mother. Oh, yeah? Really? You loved your mother? You blew her up. Katie's brother, Milton Anderson, agrees that the brothers should not be released, saying in a statement earlier this month, When Eric and Lyle Menendez executed their parents, Katie and Jose Menendez, they not only cut short two lives, they also shattered an entire family.

The statement adding that their motive was pure greed. Just weeks ago, the district attorney telling ABC News he already had doubts about their original sentence. Do you think the Menendez brothers will walk free someday? Look, I believe that given the totality of the circumstances, I don't think that they deserve to be in prison until they die. I don't believe that. With today's decision, their fate now up to the court. Gascón filing his recommendation tomorrow and says he hopes that a judge might hear the case within the next 30 to 45 days. And his brother's attorney, Mark Garigot, speculating on when they might be released. They had the love and support of an enormous family that has waited patiently for this day. I believe before Before Thanksgiving, there will be hope. The Menendez family members today celebrating the milestone, tomorrow, again, anticipating the next step toward possible release. We stand united in our hope and gratitude. Together, we can make sure that Eric and Lyle receive the justice they deserve and finally come home. Our thanks to Matt. For more on this story, watch Impact by Nightly, Menindez Brothers: Monsters or Victims, now streaming on Hulu.