Nearly two weeks after Kim Kardashian's advocacy work on prison reform brought her to a meeting with imprisoned Erik and Lyle Menendez, the reality star and business mogul is speaking out in hopes that her brother's life prison sentences will be “reconsidered”.
“I spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent and honest men. Both have exemplary disciplinary records in prison. They have earned numerous college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly hospice prisoners, and served as mentors in college programs, committed to giving back to others,” Kardashian writes in an exclusive essay published by NBC News. “When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the warders told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors. Twenty-four family members, including their parents' siblings, issued statements in full support of Lyle and Erik and respectfully requested that the justice system free them.
The publication of Kardashian's article comes on the heels of a report that Los Angeles prosecutors are reviewing new evidence in the case after attorneys for the Menendez brothers asked a court to overturn their conviction. Erik, now 53, and Lyle, 56, were convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, and later sentenced to life in prison.
And that's also because the case has returned to the forefront of pop culture debate thanks to Ryan Murphy and Netflix, which is now streaming the super producer's film. Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Kardashian's choice of word seems intentional in giving the title, though it should be noted that she is close to the creative team after starring in Murphy's recent film American Horror Story: delicate. Kardashian was also invited Monsters star Cooper Koch, who plays Erik, to accompany her to the Richard J. Donovan prison in San Diego County.
“You think you know the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. I certainly thought I did: In 1989, the brothers, aged 21 and 18 respectively, brutally shot and killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home. In 1996, after two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As is often the case, this story is much more complex than it appears on the surface. Both brothers said they suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse for years at the hands of their parents,” writes Kardashian, who then goes on to detail what happened in the resulting criminal trial.
He also notes that the district attorney's office responsible for the Menendez case also handled the OJ Simpson case when he was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Kardashian's lawyer father, Robert Kardashian, served on OJ Simpson's successful defense team. Kardashian then goes on to write that the Menendez case “has become entertainment for the nation” with their stories of abuse inspiring skits on Saturday night live.
“The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized the two rich, arrogant kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy,” he writes. “There were virtually no systems in place to support survivors, and public awareness of the trauma of male sexual abuse was minimal, often clouded by preconceived judgments and homophobia. Can anyone honestly deny that the justice system would have treated the Menendez sisters more leniently?”
In closing, Kardashian reveals that her hope is that their life sentences can be “reconsidered” for the sake of those kids who “lost their childhood, who never had the chance to be heard, to be helped, or to be saved.” ”.
“The murders are not excusable. I want to make it clear. Nor is their behavior before, during or after the crime,” he concludes. “But we shouldn't deny who I am today, in my fifties. The trial and punishment these brothers endured was more befitting of a serial killer than two individuals who endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of the very people they loved and trusted. I don't believe that spending their entire natural lives in prison was the right punishment for this complex case. If this crime had been committed and tried today, I believe the outcome would have been radically different.”