(NewsNation) — After decades behind bars, the Menendez brothers will have their moment to convince a court this week that they deserve a shot at walking free. 

The 1989 murders of their parents shocked the nation, and the brothers had long been seen as greed-fueled, cold-blooded killers. But much of the public perception appears to have shifted in recent years, in part towards the idea that alleged sexual abuse by their father may have contributed to the killings.  

At the time, these allegations were largely brushed off, but their case — like many other high-profile criminal cases — may be getting a kinder lens with changing times, Amy Adamczyk, a professor of sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said.

“A crime committed 10, 20, 50 years ago, the way people see that crime is going to change based on contemporary orientations and what’s happening in the moment,” she said. 

Public opinion shifts the way we see things when it comes to certain crimes, she said, adding that that occurs through a variety of ways.

Mindsets change over time through media coverage or institutional and policy changes sparked by events like the “Me Too” movement or George Floyd’s murder, Adamczyk said. 

When more incidents start exposing a problem, that eventually trickles down and changes public perception, she adds. 

In the case of the Menendez brothers, sexual abuse by parents wasn’t widely seen as common, but that’s largely shifted in the decades since she said.

What happened in the Menendez brothers’ case?

Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of shooting and killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole at ages 18 and 21.

The brothers’ case was reopened in October of last year when then-District Attorney George Gascón announced his office would reexamine the case in light of new evidence, which included a letter alleging sexual abuse purportedly written by Erik just months before the shooting. 

But that decision was reversed by newly elected DA Nathan Hochman, who submitted a request to withdraw the resentencing petitio,n saying the brothers have not yet fully accepted responsibility for the crime.

But a court rejected Hochman’s bid and ruled that the duo can present their case during a resentencing hearing on Thursday. If the court rules in their favor, they will be given the chance to go before a parole board.

A number of high-profile legal cases experienced shifts in public perception over the years.

Public opinion of OJ Simpson after murder trial acquittal

Former professional football player O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman in 1995. 

At the time, his highly watched televised trial became a defining moment in the perception of systemic racism within the criminal justice system for Black Americans.  The trial exposed police corruption and cover-up by a largely white investigations team. 

Simpson’s attorneys exposed racist statements made by then-LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman, one of the prosecution’s key witnesses. 

But the years since have brought on a more critical and less sympathetic view of Simpson, who died last year. 

Increased media coverage and discussions about the victims — including accusations of domestic violence tied to Simpson against his wife — have taken over much of the conversation around the murders.

The number of Americans who believed Simpson was guilty has risen in the years since his acquittal particularly after he was found civilly liable in 1997 for the battery of Brown-Simpson and the wrongful death of Goldman, reported USA Today. 

Britney Spears‘ conservatorship case

When singer Britney Spears was put under a conservatorship controlled by her father in 2008, her public persona was largely portrayed as out of control. 

Spears had gone through a series of breakdowns that were photographed and reported in a way that made her appear as if her mental health was flailing.

For years, Spears attempted to break free from the conservatorship several times but failed until a grassroots movement called #FreeBritney began to demand her freedom.  

The movement utilized social media platforms to raise awareness, share information, and organize actions to help Spears, saying she was unfairly smeared by the media.

Over time and with the help of a 2021 documentary titled “Framing Britney Spears,” much of the narrative around how Spears was treated was exposed as sexist and one-sided.

Since then, several celebrities and media outlets have issued apologies to Spears for how they contributed to the negative public narrative.

“We’re sorry, Britney,” read a post on Glamour’s Instagram in the weeks after the documentary was released. “We are all to blame for what happened to Britney Spears.”

Spears’ conservatorship was officially terminated by a Los Angeles judge in 2021. 

Amanda Knox‘s public perception after wrongful conviction

Seattle college student Amanda Knox was initially convicted and later exonerated in the 2007 murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, while she lived in Italy. 

She and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito spent four years in prison before being exonerated by Italy’s highest court in 2015.

During the highly publicized Italian trial, Knox was portrayed as a wild, sex-crazed college student and was given the nickname “Foxy Knoxy.” 

“I was being highly sexualized in the media as this whore who would go with anybody,” Knox told NewsNation, adding that she faced the challenging aftermath of her wrongful conviction, including persistent internet trolls and media speculation.

In the decade since she was set free, public perception has shifted as her case was more closely examined in light of her efforts to rebuild her life and advocate for justice reform.

Knox has drawn parallels to other high-profile cases involving women, arguing that such narratives often stem from problematic gender stereotypes.

R. Kelly‘s public perception after sex trafficking conviction

Singer R. Kelly was an icon in the 1990s and 2000s even as allegations of sexual assault swirled for years.

Kelley was prosecuted and put on trial in 2008 on counts of child pornography, but was acquitted by a jury and continued his singing career.

Years later, prosecutors brought the case again amid growing public outcry of his crimes. 

In 2022,  he was found guilty of eight counts of sex trafficking and one of racketeering in a New York court. Months later, he was convicted of child sexual abuse in a second federal trial in Chicago.

There was a “boys will be boys” kind of mentality in the music world decades ago and before the “Me Too” movement that isn’t there anymore, Adamczyk said. 

Things have changed both in terms of what you can get away with in the music scene and also believing victims when they make these allegations, she added.