Erik and Lyle Menéndez are facing the prospect of a resentencing — but not everyone wants them out of prison.
Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne told TMZ while on a walk in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 29, that they do not believe Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, deserve to have their life sentences, without the possibility of parole, reconsidered.
When asked by the outlet if she was “for or against it,” Sharon, 72, told the cameras, “I’m against it … because they killed their parents.”
A reporter for the outlet then noted how the Menéndez brothers — who have seen renewed interest in their case as a result of the Netflix series Monsters, and the network’s documentary The Menéndez Brothers — have received global compassion as a result of the alleged molestation they endured.
Sharon’s son, Jack, 38, said in response, “If it did happen, it sucks and it’s terrible but shotgunning your parents in the face numerous times…” before his mom offered further thoughts.
“I put it this way,” Sharon told the outlet. “If they could have had the wherewithal up here [points to head] to plan to murder their parents, why didn’t they have the wherewithal to leave?”
The reporter then pointed out to the Osbournes how Erik and Lyle’s situation has been “compared to Battered woman syndrome,” otherwise known as Intimate partner violence, which MedicalNewsToday states as “a psychological condition that can develop when a person experiences abuse, usually at the hands of an intimate partner.”
Jack told the reporter, “Sure, but even then, murder’s murder. It’s terrible.”
It’s not the only time in recent months that the Osbourne family have shared strong opinions on current news. Sharon recently shared a tribute to Liam Payne, who died on October 16 at the age of 31, while accusing the music industry of failing the musician. (Sharon was a judge on The X Factor, the British talent show that developed One Direction, for seven years, and has worked in the music industry since the 1970s, originally as manager to her husband Ozzy Osbourne.)
“Liam, my heart aches,” she wrote via Instagram on October 18. “We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them? You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner? Rest in peace my friend.”
Ozzy, 75, also made headlines when he apologized to Britney Spears during the July 30 episode of “The Osbournes Podcast,” for criticizing the singer’s dance moves.
While Sharon and Jack do not share sympathy for the Menéndez brothers, who were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents Kitty Menéndez and José Menéndez in 1989, many celebrities are in favor of their release — Sunny Hostin, Rosie O’Donnell, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Kim Kardashian are just a handful.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced on October 4 that a hearing for Erik and Lyle Menéndez has been set amid new evidence. Gascón requested on October 24 during a press conference that the brothers be resentenced, and on Tuesday, October 30, the brothers’ lawyer, Mark Geragos, revealed he is planning to request clemency for them off California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom.
