'They're not monsters': Kim Kardashian advocates for Menendez brothers' release

Kim Kardashian, who has been an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform, feels that Lyle and Erik Menendez should not spend the rest of their lives in prison. In an essay published on Thursday (October 3) for NBC News, the reality star and fashion mogul shared her thoughts on the infamous Menendez brothers case, which has garnered renewed attention after the release of Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Lyle and Erik, now 56 and 53 respectively, were convicted for the murders of their parents José and Kitty Menendez in 1996. At the time, they were just 21 and 18 years old.

In the essay, Kardashian highlighted the alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of their parents and she believes that they were unfairly dismissed during their trials.

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“We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be,” Kardashian wrote in her essay. “Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I’m not!”

Kardashian further pointed out that the Menendez brothers were allegedly victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse for years. Erik even claims that his father began raping him when he was just 6 years old. Despite the abuse allegations, she argues that the brothers did not receive a fair trial.

Kardashian drew attention to the timing of the Menendez brothers' second trial, which began just eight days after O.J. Simpson’s acquittal. Kardashian’s father Robert Kardashian Sr. served as a defense attorney in the Simpson case. “Eight days after [O.J.] Simpson’s acquittal, opening arguments began in Erik and Lyle’s second trial. However, this time, the judge had changed the rules,” she wrote.

“Both brothers were tried together before a single jury, much of the abuse evidence was deemed inadmissible, and manslaughter was no longer an option. Some witnesses from the first trial were barred from testifying about the alleged abuse, depriving the jurors of crucial evidence. The prosecutor, having successfully argued to exclude the abuse testimony, mocked the brothers’ defence during his closing arguments for not producing any evidence of abuse,” Kardashian continued.

Kardashian argued that the justice system failed the Menendez brothers, claiming that society’s view of abuse, particularly toward boys, was limited at the time of their trial.

Since it was the first trial to be televised, she claimed that “Erik and Lyle’s case became entertainment for the nation, their suffering and stories of abuse ridiculed in skits on Saturday Night Live. The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalised eye candy — two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed.”

“I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters,” Kardashian stated, describing them as “kind” and “honest men” with “exemplary disciplinary records” during their time in prison.

While Kardashian acknowledged that the killings are inexcusable, she insisted thatthe Menendez brothers who are in their 50s deserve a second chance. “We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved,” she concluded.