USC journalism professor Alan Abrahamson joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked his thoughts on the Menendez brothers' new push to get out of prison, despite life sentences without parole.

Alan covered Erik and Lyle's first highly televised trial in 1993 -- which ended in a mistrial -- for the Los Angeles Times, and he says he sees the brothers as stone-cold killers who deserve to spend the rest of their days behind bars.

Erik and Lyle's family members are calling for their release, claiming there's new evidence Jose Menendez abused them. Prosecutors are now reviewing the new claims and will decide if they should get a new trial or go for new sentences -- presumably manslaughter -- which could set them free.

Alan says the molestation claims don't matter ... he says even if Erik and Lyle were being abused and were afraid of their parents, they were not in immediate danger when they ambushed their mom and dad in their Beverly Hills home and blew their brains out with shotguns as the couple sat watching TV in 1989.

There's also been a lot made about the judge in the second trial not allowing evidence that Jose allegedly molested his sons ... but Alan tells us why that's being misinterpreted.