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The potential release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, nearly 30 years after they were convicted of killing their wealthy parents, has reignited a heated debate among prosecutors. Former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Pamela Bozanich, who prosecuted the brothers during their initial trial, insists that the new evidence suggesting they were sexually abused by their father does not justify their release from prison. "They killed their parents," Bozanich said in an interview with Dateline. "They slaughtered their mother. Why should they live among us?"

The controversy erupted last month when Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced a recommendation that the brothers, now in their 50s, should be eligible for parole. If a judge concurs with Gascón's recommendation, Erik and Lyle Menendez could be eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law if re-sentenced.

Juan Mejia, a deputy district attorney involved in the second trial of the Menendez brothers, expressed skepticism about the new evidence of alleged abuse. "Are they trying to pull another fast one on the court?" Mejia remarked. He firmly opposes their release, citing the brothers' history of deceit.

In August 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez shot their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, while they were watching TV at their Beverly Hills mansion. Following a sensational trial, the brothers were sentenced to life without parole in 1996. At the time of the murders, Erik was 21 and Lyle was 18. Their defense claimed they acted in self-defense due to years of sexual and physical abuse by their father, supported by testimonies from other family members. However, prosecutors contended that the motive was to gain their parents' $15 million fortune.

The initial trial ended in a hung jury in 1994. However, during a second trial in 1995, the brothers were convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. The judge in the second trial limited the testimony regarding the alleged sexual abuse, making a significant impact on the outcome.

Interest in the Menendez case has recently been revived by the Netflix series "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," shining a new light on the brothers and the gruesome events of 1989. This renewed attention has stirred public and legal debates about the possibility of their release, bringing a decades-old case back into the spotlight.