Kim Kardashian Says ‘Harmful Stereotypes & Homophobia’ Clouded Sentencing Of Convicted Parent Killers Lyle & Erik Menendez

Kim Kardashian has joined the movement to free the brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez. In 1996, the brothers were convicted of first-degree murder for the murder of their parents and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. 

Recently, Kardashian visited the Menendez brothers in jail along with actor Cooper Koch, who played Erik in the new Netflix documentary Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Over the past few years, the Menendez brothers’ case has attracted public attention, with video footage of the trial resurfacing on TikTok in 2020. Ryan Murphy’s controversial TV series, which became the most-watched show on Netflix, has heightened the scrutiny around the case. 

Kardashian has been studying for law school and has become a criminal justice advocate. After her visit with the Mendez brothers, she published an open letter urging reconsideration of the case.

“We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped, or saved,” she wrote. 

The letter came just days after it was announced that the brothers would have a court hearing in November following the discovery of new evidence related to their deceased father, Jose Menendez, and his alleged molestation of his sons.

The brothers were tried twice in court for the slaying of their parents, with the first trial ending in a hung jury. In the second trial, the sexual abuse allegations were declared inadmissible in the court proceedings. 

In her letter, Kardashian said the brothers were denied a fair chance to present the molestation claims, arguing that the justice system failed them. She pointed out, “At the time, there was a significant lack of support for survivors of abuse, especially male survivors. Societal biases, including harmful stereotypes and homophobia overshadowed the trauma they endured.”

Kardashian’s message offers a marked difference to how the Menendez brothers are shown in the Netflix documentary, where they are portrayed as hard-boiled killers. Instead, she focuses on humanizing the brothers by highlighting their lives behind bars. “They’ve earned multiple college degrees, served as caregivers for elderly inmates in hospice, and mentored fellow prisoners in education programs,” she wrote.

Having Kardashian’s backing is a powerful force and will likely go a long way for the brothers. In 2020, she advocated for the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill to reduce sentences for nonviolent offenders, improve prison conditions and expand rehabilitation opportunities.