Lyle and Erik Menendez were once unthinkable.

From late-night TV to Academy Award jokes, the claims that they were sexually abused at their fathers were ridiculed by prosecutors and comedians.

But 35 years later - thanks in part to Tiktok, Netflix and stars like Kim Kardashian - the Menendez brothers have a new generation of supporters - many who were not even born in 1989, and that year the brothers blew up their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion.

At the trial, the brothers were portrayed as greed, titled “Monsters, who spent $700,000 (£526,000) in the weeks after the murder. Now, with increasing understanding of trauma and sexual abuse, many people are more sympathetic – which may only give the brothers the opportunity to freedom.

This week, a Los Angeles judge reduced the brothers' verdict, including the possibility of parole, which could be awarded at a hearing next month.

Their fate will then be held by California’s parole board, and ultimately Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will weigh public opinion on the shift in the secession case with his political ambitions.

In 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez broke into their Beverly Hills living room, both filled with shotguns and fired at their parents, who were watching TV. The crime will remain unresolved for months.

They obtained a license from James Bond Film to kill as a Debiry Kill and told law enforcement and news media members that they covered the executions of wealthy, tall couples in their mansion, perhaps the Mafia should blame.

Meanwhile, they bought new Porsches, Jeeps, Rolex watches and other luxury items and bought cash from their parents' real estate.

They were not caught until the police accepted the psychologists.

Even at the time, their crimes were divided - the first trial ended the crime after the jury could not judge. After the second time, they were sentenced to life imprisonment without charge.

Both brothers were described as bad boys and spoiled kids in both trials, who were motivated to kill their parents out of hatred and hoped to receive a $14 million estate.

Saturday Night Live and other late night shows mocked the couple’s defense in court – including tear testimony about their alleged sexual abuse, which prosecutors called “an abuse excuses” – and documentary titles for that decade included phrases such as “Bad Son” and “American Son” and “American Son, American Murderer.”

The appeal after the appeal was denied, but last year, everything seemed to be changing. New evidence about so-called sexual abuse has surfaced, and Netflix released a drama that has attracted the attention of a whole new generation. Soon, documentaries about the case included titles with words like “misjudgment” and “boy betrayal.”

The Tiktokers discussed the case with their followers. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is a criminal justice advocate who has helped release incarcerated people and publicly support their freedoms.

"At that time, the resources for sexual abuse victims were limited, especially those of boys," Kardashian wrote in an NBC article.

In the 1990s, University of Oregon professor Whitney Phillips studied real crime. She added that the gap in understanding is particularly obvious for the abused boys.

But after the Metoo movement, people have created more cultural spaces so that people can talk about these experiences, she said.

“It not only creates a licensing structure,” Professor Phillips said, “and people are encouraged to say harassment and abuse, “in some ways, it creates an incentive structure to show stories about trauma stories.”

Beyond that, the public believes that changes in criminal justice place greater emphasis on rehabilitation and reducing prison populations than the difficult mentality of crime that ruled Los Angeles in the late 20th century.

"The lockdown of the 1990s people disappeared forever," said reporter Robert Rand.

Mr Rand released the murder in 2023 in a documentary about the murder, a member of a boy band called Menudo, said the men's clothing (a executive at RCA Records) raped him when he was 14, further strengthening their claims.

New testimony gives new life to the brothers’ claims and provides catalyst for what Professor Phillips calls a “hurricane” and support,,,,, From Netflix drama to the Kardashian column.

“What’s getting really big online is something that has a lot of energy sources,” she said.

Even Lyle Menendez points out changes in the ocean.

"Young followers do have great hope in this Tiktok social media generation," Lyle Menendez said in a court hearing.

"I'm not as desperate as I was 21, that's for sure. Obviously, I feel more hope when society seems to understand these experiences and sexual abuse better."

The fate of the brothers - whatever it recommends on social media, the court or California's parole board - ultimately depends on one person: Governor Newsom, who has the right to accept or reject any parole advice.

Many believe that men are considering running for president in 2028.

Newsom has been undergoing a political shift since the last election, from a growing number of liberals pushing universal health care to a more modest, pragmatic approach, recently proposing a freeze of health care for undocumented immigrants.

Sam Chen, a Pennsylvania-based Republican political strategist, said weighing in such a split case could be "risk."

"Can you imagine the reality show of the Menendez brothers when Newsom tried to run for president? Talk about free campaign times." "For him, that would be the worst thing."

Although no one knows his tendencies, Newsom has mentioned the case several times on social media and podcasts.

"The board's question is a fairly simple question," Newsom said on Tiktok in February. "Whether they constitute a trend, we call it a risk to public safety."

Mr Rand admitted that the case was politically "risk" to Newsom.

"You can't get around the elephants in the room: they brutally murdered their parents," Rand told the BBC. "But if you do believe they were abused and suffered a lifetime of abuse--in fact there is evidence to support their story--that's a very different situation."

The brothers did not commit violent crimes in prison, a fact that the judge considered during the review hearing, although they did have illegal acts on using smuggled cell phones to prison.

They are living a productive life while being incarcerated, and Erik has created a hospice program to help Lyle help seniors and disabled prisoners while working for prison beautification.

It is worth noting that from cousins ​​to aunts and uncles, every surviving family member wants the Menendez brothers to release, including Josezanne siblings and Kitty Menendez.

"They chose a clear purpose of life and service," their cousin Anamaria Baralt said after suffering resentment.

If the board recommends parole in June, the governor has 30 days to accept or reject the proposal. The brothers could be released within five months if they are released on parole, according to the California Department of Corrections.

The fact that GoV Newsom ordered the state parole board to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment before the brothers were considered eligible for parole led many to think he was willing to release them.

"He wants political cover from the parole board and court recommendations," said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, who has been following the brothers' legal legend but has not represented any participants.

A year ago, Mr. Rahmani would never have predicted the release of the Menendes Brotherhood. Now he thinks they will be free in the next few months.

But Gov Newsom rejects the highly anticipated parole advice.

He prevented the release of Manson's family members several times. In 2022, Newsom blocked the release of Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Sen Robert F Kennedy.

As far as the Menandes brothers are concerned, Gov Newsom said in the podcast that he is considering the case and that he does not intend to watch any documentary or real crime drama about the case.

“I’ve been familiar with the Menandes brothers over the course of decades, but not because of the many other documentaries and the level of all the attention they have received,” he said. “So that won’t make me an independent and objective review of the facts.”