Kim Kardashian is calling for the freedom of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, whose story has captivated the nation for decades. In an NBC News exclusive personal essay, Kardashian said she hopes their life sentences upheld will be reconsidered, especially in light of new evidence that has come to light in their case.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of the 1989 murder of their parents in a highly publicized case that dominated headlines for much of the beginning of the 90s. Kardashian, through her celebrity and passion for criminal justice reform, is calling for an official review of the brothers’ case. She argued that new evidence shed light on the need for a re-evaluation.
Kardashian’s interest in the case of the Menendez brothers does seem very personal. This is reflected in her essay, wherein she extends considerable sympathy toward their traumatic childhoods: “We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhood, who never got to be heard, helped or saved.” Kardashian said that the traumatic childhood of the brothers was misunderstood at the time of their original trials and played a significant factor in their being sentenced to life without parole.
“We are all products of our experiences,” Kardashian wrote in reflection of how past traumatic experience shapes one’s future. This powerful sentiment really drives home her argument that the history of alleged abuse by their father José Menendez played an extremely critical part in the tragic events of 1989.
The brothers were 21 and 18 years old at the time of conviction. But while their trials made national headlines, Kardashian said she believes their true story still hasn’t been told. Kardashian pointed out that their defense was rather that the murders were the culmination of years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at their father’s hands. “This story is so much deeper than what it seems at face value,” she said, looking to give added context to the case.
Kardashian was recently seen visiting the Menendez brothers in prison and making their plight once more in the headlines. That visit came just before she loudly called for their release, evidence of her commitment to their cause.
Newly discovered evidence included a letter Erik Menendez wrote to a relative detailing the alleged abuse. The lawyers of both brothers seek a retrial or dismissal of their convictions on the ground that the full abuse claims, which could have robbed them of a fair verdict, were not considered in their trials.
Kardashian’s very recent involvement in it has helped fuel further great interest in Menendez’s case. This has all coincided with a new true-crime “Monsters” series, which explores the family trauma and gray areas behind justice. The result is that debates over the new turn taken by the case of the Menendez brothers in court are now again at the fore of the discursive stage.
Kim Kardashian’s venture into criminal justice reform began back in 2018 when she took up Alice Marie Johnson’s case, also famously serving out her life sentence given for a nonviolent crime and advocated reasonably successfully for her release. Since then, she has remained vocal for second chances, working full-time with legal teams, prisons, and visiting lawmakers as she called for clemency and reform.
She’s more than an advocate-she passed California’s “baby bar” exam in 2021. She has worked directly with lawmakers, lobbied the Trump and Biden administrations, and visited scores of prisons in her quest for meaningful change. Her passion for justice reform begins with a determination to right the injustices of men such as the Menendez brothers.
Kardashian, in her essay, reiterated some of the brothers’ age-old claims of abuses, saying they acted in fear of their lives after years of trauma. She also suggested there was some sort of irregularity during their second trial since major evidence had been excluded, thus limiting the full defence of their experiences.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has announced that it will review the new evidence in the case, including the molestation letter, such news only adds to growing momentum. It also supports the ongoing efforts by Kardashian for the brothers to receive justice and freedom.
Kardashian‘s advocacy shines a beacon into the complex dynamics as the Menendez case unfolds. With the emergence of new evidence and renewed public interest, the idea of the Menendez brothers’ fate couldn’t be more relevant. Free or not, undetermined is the outcome; though one thing is for sure, Kim Kardashian has made it known how she will be their voice in this continuous fight for justice.