A top Los Angeles lawyer announced recently that he will appeal to a judge to grant Erik and Lyle Menendez parole, after they spent nearly 35 years incarcerated for the shooting death of their parents. This follows the emergence of fresh evidence suggesting they had been enduring prolonged sexual abuse from their father.
The Menendez siblings, aged 56 and 53, were sentenced after a pair of highly publicised trials in the 1990s. They were known across America due to their upbringing and privileged background as sons of a central figure in the recording and entertainment business.
George Gascon, the District Attorney for Los Angeles County, disclosed at a news conference that he will advise a judge on Friday to consider altering their life sentences to a 50-years-to-life sentence. Furthermore, he argues they should be considered for parole instantly due to their young age at the time of the murders in 1989; at that time, Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18.
“In my opinion, they have fulfilled their societal obligations,” stated Mr Gascon, acknowledging their exemplary conduct whilst imprisoned. However, a few prosecutors in his team disagreed with their potential release and may put forth a case to keep them behind bars at an imminent hearing.
The time frame for the court’s decision is currently unclear. Family members of the Menendez clan, including their murdered father’s sister, have been advocating for their release.
Jose Menendez received a fatal shot to the rear of his skull, whilst 15 bullets were fired at Kitty Menendez inside their luxurious Beverly Hills residence.
A recent dramatised Netflix series about their situation refuelled public interest in the case. Over the past year, defence solicitors have been engaging with prosecutors to discuss revoking the sentence or instigating a new trial, due to recently unearthed evidence that corroborates the brothers’ assertion of sexual abuse.
In their initial televised trial, which concluded with a hung jury in 1994, the siblings affirmed they had been sexually abused by both parents over a long duration, and that they acted in self-defence when their father threatened their lives if they exposed the abuse.
The prosecution’s rebuttal stated the brothers were eyeing their parents’ sizeable wealth.
In their second, non-broadcast trial, a jury found them guilty but opted against imposing the death penalty, instead sentencing them to life imprisonment without parole. There is no question about the brothers’ guilt according to Mr Gascon, who has brought to the fore fresh evidence, including a supposed letter written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, eight months prior to the murders, outlining his abuse. Mr Gascon suggested that had this evidence been shared at the trial, the jury might have arrived at an alternative verdict.
Mr Gascon, whilst considering the murders to be “ghasturous deeds,” emphasized that there’s no pardon for murder. Probes are furthering into claims brought by a Menudo band member, from the 1980s, who alleges abuse at the hands of Jose Menendez. Last year, these allegations came to the forefront via a Peacock documentary series, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.”
Remarks from a former prosecution team member, denying the possibility of males being raped, raised concerns for Mr. Gascon. He stated, “From the time of the original prosecution, our office has acquired a profound comprehension of the complexities related to sexual violence.”