Kim Kardashian shares passionate plea in support of Menendez brothers
Los Angeles, California - Kim Kardashian has penned a personal plea in support of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murder of their parents.
In an essay for NBC News published Thursday, the 43-year-old reality star said that while their "killings are not excusable," the brothers deserve to have their life sentences reconsidered.
"As is often the case, this story is much more complex than it appears on the surface," Kim wrote.
"Both brothers said they had been sexually, physically, and emotionally abused for years by their parents."
"Following years of abuse and a real fear for their lives, Erik and Lyle chose what they thought at the time was their only way out – an unimaginable way to escape their living nightmare," she continued.
Over the course of two trials, Erik and Lyle did not deny killing their parents at their California home in 1989 but argued that it was done in self-defense.
Despite testimony from both brothers about the alleged horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of their parents, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kim, who has become a powerful advocate for criminal justice reform, visited Erik and Lyle in prison last month, and she shared in her essay that the experience proved to her that the men were far from the "monsters" they have been portrayed as.
Will Kim Kardashian help free Erik and Lyle Menendez?
"They have earned multiple college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice, and been mentors in college programs – committed to giving back to others," the SKIMs mogul wrote.
"When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors."
Kim concluded her essay by writing, "We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved."
The plea comes as the Menendez case has been launched back into the spotlight on the heels of Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
The show has received some intense criticism – including from the brothers themselves – for not accurately representing the case.
Series co-creator Ryan Murphy, who has recently worked with Kim on American Horror Story: Delicate, revealed that he gave The Kardashians star an early peek at Monsters, telling Variety that "she didn't know about a lot of the sexual abuse and she immediately became very interested in helping them."
Amid the Hollywood-driven buzz, Erik and Lyle are set for a hearing on November 29 to assess new evidence that could corroborate their claims of sexual abuse by their father.
Cover photo: Collage: MIKE NELSON / AFP & Mike Coppola / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP