Sharon and Jack Osbourne Declare 'Abused' Menendez Brothers Should Stay Jailed As Battle to Free Parent Killers Hits Fever Pitch
Oct. 30 2024, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Sharon and Jack Osbourne are adamant the Menendez brothers stay locked up, even with a looming resentencing that could set them free in mere days.
Despite an abundance of calls for the brothers' release, the mother-son duo can’t shake their disbelief that Erik and Lyle resorted to murdering their parents instead of "just leaving", RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Menendez brother's attorney, Mark Geragos, has persuaded the D.A. to rule in favor of a resentencing — potentially leading to their murder conviction being reduced to involuntary manslaughter.
Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, brutally shot their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, 14 times inside their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989 when they were just 18 and 21.
They are currently serving life sentences without parole following their conviction in 1996, but new evidence has recently supported the brothers' claims they were sexually abused by their father as children.
Their lawyer wants the governor of California to pardon them ahead of Thanksgiving, which could lead to them being freed within days.
With an uptick in the popularity of the brothers' case, especially as their story has been adapted into a Ryan Murphy series on Netflix, many celebrities have been sharing their opinions.
Sharon, 72, and son Jack, 38, are two who aren't on board with the idea of Erik and Lyle roaming free once more.
Sharon said: "I'm against it because they killed their parents. Put it this way, if they could have had the where for all up here to plan to murder their parents why didn't they have the where for all to leave."
Alluding to the alleged sexual assault the brothers faced, Jack added: "I mean if it did happen it sucks and is terrible but shotgunning your parents in the face numerous times. Murder is murder. It’s terrible."
This week, it was revealed Judge Michael V. Jesic would be joining Judge William Ryan in the Menendez case.
He will involved in reviewing a resentencing recommendation for Lyle and Erik.
Journalist Robert Rand told Newsweek that Geragos is now pursuing a dual strategy to secure the brothers' release.
Rand said: "A clever move by Mark. He's created two parallel tracks, as I understand it: one where Judge Ryan will rule on the habeas petition, and another where the new judge, Jesic, will rule on the resentencing."
He added: "If the two judges both rule in their favor, I think they should get out in a few weeks."
On Tuesday, the D.A.'s Office informed the outlet that they will keep considering any new developments in the case.
With the petition taking 30 days to reach a judge, plus six months for a parole hearing and another four months for decisions to be finalized, the Menendez brothers could be looking at an 11-month wait time.
But that amount of time is nothing for Erik and Lyle, who have spent over three decades behind bars.
D.A. Gascón said: "The two young men have spent 35 years in prison. They have allegedly done everything they've been asked to do, including going to college and working as mentors for others."
"They have also completed extensive rehabilitative work."
He also told TMZ Live: "For anybody who has been paying attention I’ve been saying all along that the biggest hurdle here is to get the DA initiating the resentencing which the DA has now done."
"We are now free to argue to the judge, 'Look, your honor, based on this record, based on the law, just follow the law, you can and you should recall this sentence. You should reduce the murder conviction to involuntary manslaughter.'"
He also said the brothers have "more than served ample amount of time", pointing out that more jurors voted for manslaughter than murder during their initial trial when the abuse was presented.
Gascón added: "It’s time now for them to be released."
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