Kardashian, active in prison reform for years, has turned her attention to the high-profile Menendez murders: “Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different.”
Kim Kardashian and Erik Menendez Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Image
Nearly two weeks after Kim Kardashian‘s advocacy work around prison reform led her to a meeting with imprisoned Erik and Lyle Menendez, the reality TV star and business mogul is speaking in hopes that the brother’s life sentences can be “reconsidered.”
“I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent, and honest men. In prison, they both have exemplary disciplinary records. They have earned multiple college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice, and been mentors in college programs — committed to giving back to others,” Kardashian writes in an exclusive essay posted by NBC News. “When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors. Twenty-four family members, including their parents’ siblings, have released statements fully supporting Lyle and Erik and have respectfully requested that the justice system free them.”
The publication of Kardashian’s column comes hot on the heels of a report that prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the case after attorneys for the Menendez brothers asked a court to vacate their conviction. Erik, now 53, and Lyle, 56, were convicted of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, and later sentenced to life.
It also comes as the case has found its way back to the forefront of pop culture conversation thanks to Ryan Murphy and Netflix, which is now streaming the super producer’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Kardashian’s word choice seems intentional giving the title, though it should be noted that she’s close to the creative team after having starred in Murphy’s recent American Horror Story: Delicate. Kardashian also invited Monsters star Cooper Koch, who plays Erik, to accompany her to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility 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, viciously 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 had been 𝓈ℯ𝓍ually, physically and emotionally abused for years by their parents,” writes Kardashian, who then goes on to detail what happened in the resulting criminal trial.
She also makes note that the district attorney’s office responsible for the Menendez case also handled the O.J. Simpson case when he was charged with the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Kardashian’s lawyer father, Robert Kardashian, served on O.J. Simpson’s successful defense team. Kardashian then goes on to write that the Menendez case “became entertainment for the nation” with their stories of abuse inspiring skits on Saturday Night Live.
“The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized eye candy — two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy,” she 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 little boys who “lost their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved.”
“The 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ings are not excusable. I want to make that clear. Nor is their behavior before, during or after the crime,” she concludes. “But we should not deny who they are today in their 50s. The trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er than two individuals who endured years of 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse by the very people they loved and trusted. I don’t believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case. Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different.”
