Kim Kardashian is reportedly using her influence to advocate for the release of the Menendez brothers from prison. Kardashian released a personal essay on the case, stating that Erik and Lyle Menendez “had no chance of a fair trial.” In an NBC essay, she calls out the criminal justice system for denying the brothers justice despite family members testifying about the alleged physical, sexual, and emotional abuse inflicted upon them by their parents. She also wrote about “preconceived judgments and homophobia” due to the lack of awareness concerning male sexual abuse victims and trauma.
The Menendez brothers stood two trials before their convictions in 1996 for the murders of their parents. Kardashian also discussed the time she spent with Lyle and Erik while visiting them in prison. She also mentioned the statements of support the brothers’ family members released over the years while strongly questioning the fairness of their trial.
Kim Kardashian wants Erik and Lyle Menendez free in NBC essay
Kim Kardashian has made it clear in her recent NBC essay that the crimes Erik and Lyle Menendez committed are “not excusable.” However, she has questioned the rationality behind their sentences. The brothers are spending life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kardashian stated, “The trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial killer.” At the same time, she has highlighted the sexual abuse that the siblings endured at the hands of the “very people they loved and trusted” — their parents.
The SKIMS founder believes the brothers, now in their 50s, did not receive “the right punishment for this complex case.” She claims that Erik and Lyle Menendez’s second trial — after their initial respective trials ended with deadlocked juries — was unfair considering the exclusion of abuse claims. Their first trial included testimony from family members acknowledging the abuse their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, had perpetrated. However, the prosecution managed to have the abuse testimony excluded from the 1996 trial that resulted in their convictions.
Kim Kardashian is now requesting the justice system to reconsider the Menendez brothers’ life without-parole prison sentences. In her essay, Kardashian recalled visiting Erik and Lyle Menendez in prison a few weeks ago. “They are not monsters,” she states and further calls them “kind, intelligent, and honest men” with “exemplary disciplinary records.”
Kardashian notes that some of Erik and Lyle’s achievements include earning several college degrees. She also reveals they have “worked as caregivers” for the elderly inmates and facilitated as “mentors in college programs.” She also mentioned how a prison warden had told her “he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors.”
Lastly, Kardashian discussed the 1988 letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin talking about their father’s alleged abuse. She hopes this new evidence can boost their claims of abuse and ultimately result in their release from prison.
