Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Los Angeles Prosecutors to Review New Evidence in Menendez Brothers' 1996 Murder Conviction
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 weeks ago on
October 24, 2024

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit with defense attorney Leslie Abramson, right, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court during a hearing, Nov. 26, 1990. (AP File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez to determine whether they should be serving life sentences for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago, the city’s district attorney said Thursday.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said during a news conference that there is no question Erik Menendez, 53, and his 56-year-old brother, Lyle Menendez, committed the murders, but his office will be reviewing new evidence and will make a decision on whether a resentencing is warranted in the notorious case that captured national attention.

The new evidence presented in a petition includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his attorneys say corroborates the allegations that he was sexually abused by his father.

Menendez Brothers Say They Killed Their Parents Out of Self-Defense

The brothers have said they killed their parents out of self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their attorneys argue that because of society’s changing views on sexual abuse, that the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole today.

Bryan Freedman, the extended family’s lawyers, said they strongly support the brothers’ release.

“She wishes nothing more than for them to be released,” Freedman said of Joan VanderMolen, the brothers’ aunt.

The brothers’ attorneys said the family believed from the beginning they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that ultimately led to the brothers’ murder conviction, attorney Mark Geragos said.

Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father Jose Menendez and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989 but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik.

Prosecutors at the time contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

Jurors Rejected Death Sentence

Jurors rejected a death sentence in favor of life without parole.

Attorney Cliff Gardner, who also represents the brothers, said they are pleased by the district attorney’s decision. The attorneys have asked for the court to vacate their conviction.

“Given today’s very different understanding of how sexual and physical abuse impacts children — both boys and girls — and the remarkable new evidence, we think resentencing is the appropriate result,” Gardner said in an email Thursday to The Associated Press. “The brothers have served more than 30 years in prison. That is enough.”

The case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming the true-crime drama “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. ”

In a statement on X posted by his wife, Erik Menendez called the show a “dishonest portrayal” of what happened that has taken them back to a time when prosecutors “built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experience rape trauma differently from women.”

Gascón said he believes that the topic of sexual assault would have been treated with more sensitivity if the case had happened today.

“We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing information,” Gascón said.

He said his office did not know the “validity” of what was presented at the trial.

Gascón, who is seeking reelection, noted that more than 300 people have been resentenced during his term, and only four have gone on to commit a crime again.

A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 29.

Lyle Menendez recently earned a sociology degree from the University of California, Irvine, through a prison program. Geragos said they have been model prisoners despite believing they would never be released.

“I think it’s time,” Geragos said. “The family thinks it’s time.”

Kim Kardashian Weighed In

Reality TV star and celebrity personality Kim Kardashian, who has advocated for criminal justice reform, also weighed in, writing in a personal essay shared with NBC News that the outsized media attention on the first trial that was nationally televised denied them justice.

She noted with “their suffering and stories of abuse ridiculed in skits on ‘Saturday Night Live’” that they were painted as “two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy.”

“Erik and Lyle had no chance of a fair trial against this backdrop,” Kardashian wrote.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Air Force Rushing Dominates Bulldogs, Putting Fresno State’s Season in Jeopardy

DON'T MISS

How Democrats Helped Trump

DON'T MISS

Do Trump and Newsom Agree On Anything? Yes, Homeless Encampments

DON'T MISS

Biden Considers Controversial Pardon for Son Hunter Despite Public Denials

DON'T MISS

Average Homebuyers Get Older. What’s Freezing Out Younger Fresno Families?

DON'T MISS

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Gains With Latinos Could Reshape American Politics. Democrats Are Struggling to Respond

DON'T MISS

Frustrated Americans Await the Economic Changes They Voted for With Trump

DON'T MISS

Actor Tony Todd, Known for His Role in the Movie ‘Candyman’ and Other Films, Dies at 69

DON'T MISS

Biden and Trump Will Meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House Says

UP NEXT

Do Trump and Newsom Agree On Anything? Yes, Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

Biden Considers Controversial Pardon for Son Hunter Despite Public Denials

UP NEXT

Average Homebuyers Get Older. What’s Freezing Out Younger Fresno Families?

UP NEXT

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

UP NEXT

Trump’s Gains With Latinos Could Reshape American Politics. Democrats Are Struggling to Respond

UP NEXT

Frustrated Americans Await the Economic Changes They Voted for With Trump

UP NEXT

Actor Tony Todd, Known for His Role in the Movie ‘Candyman’ and Other Films, Dies at 69

UP NEXT

Biden and Trump Will Meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House Says

UP NEXT

Longtime Los Banos Leader Ahead in Controversial Race to Replace Incumbent Mayor

UP NEXT

Wink, the Sweet One-Eyed Pup, Seeks a Forever Family

Biden Considers Controversial Pardon for Son Hunter Despite Public Denials

23 hours ago

Average Homebuyers Get Older. What’s Freezing Out Younger Fresno Families?

24 hours ago

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

2 days ago

Trump’s Gains With Latinos Could Reshape American Politics. Democrats Are Struggling to Respond

2 days ago

Frustrated Americans Await the Economic Changes They Voted for With Trump

2 days ago

Actor Tony Todd, Known for His Role in the Movie ‘Candyman’ and Other Films, Dies at 69

2 days ago

Biden and Trump Will Meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House Says

2 days ago

Longtime Los Banos Leader Ahead in Controversial Race to Replace Incumbent Mayor

2 days ago

Wink, the Sweet One-Eyed Pup, Seeks a Forever Family

2 days ago

The Vance Walberg Era of Bulldog Basketball Begins With a Win Over Sac State

2 days ago

Air Force Rushing Dominates Bulldogs, Putting Fresno State’s Season in Jeopardy

Game-Defining Play: Quarterback Mikey Keene’s interception to linebacker Blake Fletcher Key Stat: Allowing 344 rushing yards from Air ...

19 hours ago

19 hours ago

Air Force Rushing Dominates Bulldogs, Putting Fresno State’s Season in Jeopardy

23 hours ago

How Democrats Helped Trump

23 hours ago

Do Trump and Newsom Agree On Anything? Yes, Homeless Encampments

23 hours ago

Biden Considers Controversial Pardon for Son Hunter Despite Public Denials

24 hours ago

Average Homebuyers Get Older. What’s Freezing Out Younger Fresno Families?

2 days ago

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

2 days ago

Trump’s Gains With Latinos Could Reshape American Politics. Democrats Are Struggling to Respond

2 days ago

Frustrated Americans Await the Economic Changes They Voted for With Trump

Search

Send this to a friend