LA prosecutors to review conviction of Menendez brothers over parents’ murders
3 October 2024, 23:54
The case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming documentary series The Menendez Brothers.
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.
Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascon said during a news conference that lawyers for Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, have asked a court to vacate their conviction.
Mr Gascon said his office will review new evidence and decide whether the case should be considered for resentencing. A hearing was scheduled for November 29.
The new evidence presented in a petition includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his lawyers say corroborates allegations that he was sexually abused by his father.
Mr Gascon said his office had not made any decisions and did not know the “validity” of what was presented at the trial.
“We will evaluate all of it,” he said.
Mr Gascon noted that more than 300 people have been resentenced during his term, and only four have gone on to commit a crime again.
The case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming true crime drama Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.
In a statement 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”.
The brothers were given life sentences for fatally shooting their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, with a shotgun in 1989.
Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, 18, admitted they shot 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 abuse of Erik.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence of any abuse, and the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.
Jurors rejected a death sentence in favour of life without parole.
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