When the Los Angeles district attorney announced last week that his office would review new evidence in the Menendez case, it was the first time in decades that the brothers had any hope of being released.
Eric and Lyle Menendez have been in prison since 1996, when they were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, in 1989. Thirty years ago, their first trial was broadcast on courtroom television and attracted international attention, but thanks to social media and numerous TV dramas and documentaries, it has also caught the attention of a new generation.
It is important to recognize that both men and women can be victims of sexual assault
George Gascon, Los Angeles District Attorney
The brothers have long denied prosecutors’ claims that they were motivated by greed and a desire to inherit a multimillion-dollar fortune, claiming self-defense after years of sexual, physical and psychological abuse at the hands of their father. He claimed that he had killed his parents. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said earlier this month that his office would review new evidence to determine whether the case should be resentenced or considered for a new trial.
New evidence includes a letter from Eric Menendez that his lawyer says supports claims that he was sexually abused by his father, and a letter from former RCA executive Jose Menendez, former member of the boy band Menudo. It contains content that supports the claims made by the members. There is a record of sexual abuse. The question is not whether the brothers killed their parents, Gascón said, but the extent of their guilt.
“We haven’t decided on the result yet,” Gascón said at a press conference last week. “As we review the information, I think it’s also important to recognize that both men and women can be victims of sexual assault.”
IIn August 1989, Lyle and Eric, then 21 and 18, shot their parents multiple times with a shotgun while they were eating ice cream and watching TV in their Beverly Hills mansion. The killing was so violent that police suspected it may have been linked to organized crime, the Los Angeles Times reported.
About six months later, police arrested the brothers, but prosecutors claimed they had wasted a large amount of money after the murder. They were charged with first-degree murder.
At the first trial, the couple said their mother had done nothing to stop their father’s abuse and that they feared their parents were trying to kill them so they wouldn’t tell anyone about the abuse. he testified. The trial included testimony from family members corroborating the allegations of abuse, as well as expert witnesses for the defense who found the allegations to be legitimate and the “root cause” of the crime.
Social media played a key role in bringing the Menendez brothers’ case to public attention
Trey Gober, Texas trial attorney
Jurors could not reach a verdict and there was a mistrial, but at a second trial in 1996, with limited testimony regarding the alleged abuse, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Years have passed since then, and the brothers were reunited in prison, where they earned college degrees and served as mentors and caregivers, Kim Kardashian, who met them, said in a recent essay. He wrote that he is requesting his release.
Thanks to numerous documentaries and television programs, this story was able to attract public attention. During the pandemic, the incident was highlighted on viral TikToks, helping to shine a spotlight on a younger audience. The murder was the subject of Ryan Murphy’s show last month (which was criticized by the Menendez family), and Murphy spoke out about the case, criticizing media coverage and defending the brothers. He says he was inspired by it. ‘ release.
“There are thousands of TikToks by young people, especially young women, talking about the Lyle and Eric incident,” Murphy said at an event last month. “I was very surprised because it seemed so modern to them.”
Trey Gober, a Texas trial attorney who previously worked with the New York-based Innocence Project, said social media was critical to the case.
I’m the one in charge. I don’t want that to be diminished or diminished in any way by those who support me and believe in me.
Eric Menendez
“Social media has played an important role in bringing the Menendez brothers’ case to the public’s attention and creating political pressure on the District Attorney to reexamine the evidence.”
The brothers expressed their gratitude and support for the cause online. “The young followers of the TikTok social media generation have really high hopes,” Lyle Menendez said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I feel more hopeful when society seems to have a better understanding of these experiences and sexual abuse.”
Eric Menendez warned them not to take their crimes lightly.
“This tragedy is serious and has affected my entire family. And sometimes I wonder if so much of that pain and tragedy is lost in translation in some of the TikTok videos. There is,” he said. “So I think it’s important to remember that these two people are no longer in this world, and that their families are devastated by this tragedy, and that I’m at the center of it. Those responsible… It’s me, and I don’t want that to be diminished or diminished in any way by those who support me and believe in me.”
NOh, and for the first time since their conviction, the brothers have a chance to be released from prison. Gascón said the district attorney’s office has received intense national interest in the case in recent weeks following the release of a new documentary and television program.
Gascón said the district attorney received petitions from the brothers seeking re-sentencing and consideration of new evidence, including the killings in which Eric Menendez said he was a victim of sexual abuse. It also includes letters sent to families earlier, he said. It added: “None of this information has been confirmed.”
There is no question that they committed murder. The question is how much responsibility should be taken?
George Gascon, Los Angeles District Attorney
“We have a moral and ethical obligation to consider what is presented to us and make a decision,” he said. “Even if they were clearly murderers, do they deserve to be outraged because they have been in prison for 35 years and have given back to society, or is there evidence that was never presented in court? Whether habeas corpus is appropriate in that case, and if the jury had done so, it probably would have reached a different conclusion.
Gascón told CNN that sensitivities about sexual abuse have changed and jurors today are likely to view the case very differently. “There is no question that they committed the murder. The question is, considering the totality of the circumstances, how much responsibility should they bear?” he said.
Neema Rahmani, president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers Association and a former federal prosecutor, told the outlet that re-prosecution appears to be the best option. “I think Eric and Lyle should be released because they were abused,” he said. “If (Gascón) agrees to counter-claim in the interest of justice, I think that’s the clearest path forward for the brothers.”
Mr. Gover told the brothers that they could be granted a new trial in which a jury would examine new evidence, possibly a plea deal with lesser charges, and a release date.
“It is also important to note that many individuals who are less high-profile are not given the same opportunity to have their cases retried,” he said. “For every Menendez brother, there are 10 more inmates who never got this kind of buzz, and they’re going to die in prison.”
