Decision to avenge the Menendez brothers so they arrive by the end of the week, says LA District Attorney George Gascon

LOS ANGELES — After announcing last week that Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case might be reevaluated based on the emergence of new evidence, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office made it clear on Tuesday that the decision would likely come by the end of the week.

At an unrelated press conference on Tuesday evening, LA District Attorney George Gascon responded to a request for an update on the brothers’ possible retaliation by saying, “As I said ten days ago, within about ten days to make a decision. I plan to make a decision by the end of this week.”

He concluded with some finality, “Yes, the end of this week.”

RELATED: Case of the Menendez Brothers: How Would Recidivism Happen?

The Menendez brothers spent more than 30 years in prison for shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.

The brothers were sentenced to life in prison at their second trial, after the first trial was annulled.

They never denied committing the crime; it is the motivation for the crime that has divided opinion in recent decades.

Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21 at the time of the murders. During their first trial, their lawyer argued that they killed their parents in self-defense.

SEE ALSO: The Menendez brothers’ uncle says they should not be released

She argued that the brothers feared their parents would kill them if they revealed their father’s years of alleged sexual assault.

The latest legal filing details the abuse the brothers allegedly suffered at the hands of José Menedez.

New evidence includes a letter Erik wrote to his cousin before the killings describing what his father did to him, the brothers’ attorneys said.

Another potential victim has also come forward: Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, who claims he was abused by José Menendez at the age of 14.

RELATED: The Menendez brothers’ family members speak out at a press conference calling for their release from prison

Moreover, the passage of time has helped to see their motive in a new light. A growing number of supporters argue that the Menendez brothers themselves are victims, and that the crimes they committed out of a traumatic response should be reconsidered with a 21st century lens on the psychology of male sexual assault.

Currently, the Menendez brothers’ next court appearance is scheduled for November 26, 2024.