Eric and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison nearly three decades ago, and they could get a chance at freedom as Los Angeles prosecutors comb through new evidence.
In a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that the Menendez family’s attorneys presented new evidence in a petition and asked the court to overturn their convictions. Gascón announced a hearing for November 29 regarding the possibility of re-sentencing.
“We have not decided the outcome. We are reviewing the information,” Gascón said. Per CNNAdding that his office was not sure of the “authenticity” of the new evidence. “We will evaluate all of that.”
The couple murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. They were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 in their second murder trial. That trial famously blocked the use of most of the evidence detailing the brothers’ possible abuse, a move that has long inspired criticism from criminal justice advocates including Kim Kardashian. The new evidence includes a letter from Eric Menendez that his lawyers believe supports the brother’s claims of long-term sexual abuse by his father.
Eric and Lyle Menendez have long been vocal about the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father, Jose, a factor they say should have played into their judgment.
Cliff Gardner, the Menendez brothers’ attorney, celebrated the news in an email to news agency.
“Given today’s very different understanding of how sexual and physical abuse affects children — both boys and girls — and the remarkable new evidence, we believe a retrial is the appropriate outcome,” Gardner reportedly wrote. “The brothers spent more than 30 years in prison. That’s enough.”
The duo is back in the spotlight thanks to the Netflix series created by Ryan Murphy that depicts their case: “Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.” Eric criticized the series in a Facebook post last month.
Read more
About this topic