Kim Kardashian Says Menendez Brothers Should Be Freed From Prison in Personal Essay

Kim Kardashian is standing up for Lyle and Erik Menendez.

By Libby Birk

Kim Kardashian is calling for the Menendez brothers to be freed from prison for the 1996 murder of their parents, writing in a personal essay that "they are not monsters."

In the essay published Thursday by NBC News, Kardashian, 43, expressed her support for Lyle and Erik Menendez, 56 and 53, respectively. The men were 21 and 18 when they killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. Their case has been in headlines recently due to Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Positing that "we are all products of our experiences," the reality star and social justice advocate argued that the brothers were allegedly "sexually, physically and emotionally abused for years by their parents," writing that Erik claimed to be 6 years old when his father allegedly began raping him.

Kardashian noted that another huge legal case that defined the '90s – O.J. Simpson's murder trial – played out in real time during their own legal fight, contributing to the entertainment factor of the proceedings. "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. Kardashian's late father, Robert Kardashian Sr., was one of the defense attorneys in Simpson's trial.

"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' defense during his closing arguments for not producing any evidence of abuse," Kardashian continued.

She said because the first trial was televised and made into "entertainment for the nation" with "their suffering and stories of abuse ridiculed in skits on Saturday Night Live," the brothers were turned "into monsters and sensationalized eye candy – two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed." She said they lacked a fair trial.

Kardashian continued, saying she has "spent time" with them and insisting that "they are not monsters." Calling them "kind" and "honest men," she said they "both have exemplary disciplinary records." She referenced her recent visit to the prison they are housed, the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where "one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors."

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"The killings are not excusable. I want to make that clear. Nor is their behavior before, during or after the crime. But we should not deny who they are today in their 50s," she wrote.

"We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved," Kardashian concluded.

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