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 6 months ago on
October 3, 2024

LA prosecutors to review new evidence in Menendez brothers' case, including letter corroborating abuse allegations. (Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the case of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of 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 attorneys for Erik Menendez, 53, and his 56-year-old brother, Lyle Menendez, have asked a court to vacate their conviction.

Gascón said his office will review new evidence and also decide whether the case should be considered for resentencing. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 29.

New Evidence Includes Letter from Erik Menendez

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.

Gascón said his office had not yet made any decisions and did not know the “validity” of what was presented at the trial.

“We will evaluate all of it,” he said.

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.

Netflix Documentary Sparks Renewed Interest

The case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming “The Menendez Brothers” documentary series.

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.”

Brothers Claim Self-Defense in Parents’ Murder

The brothers were given life sentences for fatally shooting their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.

Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father and their mother, 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 contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

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

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

DON'T MISS

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

DON'T MISS

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

DON'T MISS

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Samantha Jenny Audelo

DON'T MISS

Russell Brand Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

DON'T MISS

Sell-off Worsens Worldwide and Dow Drops 1,000 After China Retaliates Against Trump Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Visalia Man Arrested in Child Exploitation Investigation

UP NEXT

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

UP NEXT

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Samantha Jenny Audelo

UP NEXT

Russell Brand Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

UP NEXT

Sell-off Worsens Worldwide and Dow Drops 1,000 After China Retaliates Against Trump Tariffs

UP NEXT

Visalia Man Arrested in Child Exploitation Investigation

UP NEXT

It’s Time to Love Your Desk Lunches

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

20 minutes ago

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

29 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Samantha Jenny Audelo

41 minutes ago

Russell Brand Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

49 minutes ago

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

57 minutes ago

Sell-off Worsens Worldwide and Dow Drops 1,000 After China Retaliates Against Trump Tariffs

1 hour ago

Visalia Man Arrested in Child Exploitation Investigation

1 hour ago

It’s Time to Love Your Desk Lunches

1 hour ago

Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts

2 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: CEMEX’s New Mining Plan for the San Joaquin River

16 hours ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman’s fall landed him on the injured list. The Los Angeles Dodgers placed their star slugger on the 10-day I...

2 minutes ago

2 minutes ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

A hand-embroidery dress fabric made in India, costing a couple hundred dollars per yard, is sold at the Francia Textiles fabric store in the Fashion District in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
10 minutes ago

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

10 minutes ago

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

Burned properties following the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Jan 19, 2025. Nearly three months after the January wildfires in Los Angeles, investigators discovered human remains in a burned lot on Wednesday in Altadena, Calif., raising the total death toll from the fires to 30. (Loren Elliott/The New York Times)
20 minutes ago

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

A person waits in a line for a prospective employer at a job fair, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP File)
29 minutes ago

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

Samantha Jenny Audelo is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for April 4, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
41 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Samantha Jenny Audelo

Actor Russell Brand is seen during the Republican National Convention Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP File)
49 minutes ago

Russell Brand Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

Injured people arrive at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in central Gaza City on Thursday, March 3, 2025. Israel wants to squeeze Hamas into releasing the dozens of hostages still held in the enclave. But other objectives have since emerged. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)
57 minutes ago

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend