10 months ago
23
(NewsNation) — Prosecutors are expected to denote whether determination volition beryllium a reduced sentence, caller proceedings oregon release for Lyle and Erik Menendez, convicted of murdering their parents successful 1996.
The announcement from existent Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón comes aft relatives of the brothers person travel forward successful enactment of a reduced sentence, and nationalist attraction has erstwhile again focused connected the decadesold case.
Both brothers are presently serving 2 beingness sentences without parole for the execution of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, successful 1989.
The lawsuit attracted contention astatine the time, with prosecutors arguing the brothers killed their parents for fiscal summation and defence attorneys arguing the boys were acting successful self-defense aft having been sexually abused by their begetter for years.
There were besides ineligible questions astir whether tapes of the boys' therapy sessions should person been allowed arsenic evidence.
The murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez
The first trial, which was heavy covered by the media arsenic cameras were allowed successful the courtroom, ended successful 1994 successful a mistrial. In a 2nd proceedings successful 1996, the justice banned cameras from the courtroom and constricted grounds connected the allegations of intersexual abuse. The assemblage successful that proceedings recovered some brothers guilty.
Jose and Kitty Menendez were recovered changeable to decease successful their Beverly Hills location successful August of 1989. Jose Menendez, a Cuban refugee, was an enforcement successful the amusement industry.
Police described the murders arsenic exceptionally brutal, and archetypal speculation centered astir a imaginable mob deed due to the fact that of Menendez's concern connections.
Lyle Menendez, past 21, and Erik Menendez, past 18, were aboriginal arrested and charged with shooting their parents utilizing shotguns they had purchased not agelong earlier the murder.
The Menendez brothers trials
Prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their parents due to the fact that their begetter had told them helium was penning them retired of his will.
As evidence, the prosecution pointed to the brothers' plans to acquisition weapons anterior to the time of the execution and the information that they made an effort to found an alibi earlier yet calling 911 to study their parents' deaths.
Prosecutors besides pointed to the brothers' behaviors pursuing the crime. The 2 utilized the wealth they inherited to bargain costly items, including Rolex watches, condominiums and Porsches. The brothers besides traveled astir the satellite successful the aftermath, with Erik Menendez participating successful respective overseas tennis tournaments.
The defence argued that the brothers had killed their parents aft suffering years of intersexual abuse by their father, who they said threatened to termination them if they told anyone. Their parent was described arsenic being alert of the maltreatment and doing thing to halt it, and the defence argued the boys were successful fearfulness for their lives.
Defense attorneys brought distant aggregate cousins who testified they knew that Jose Menendez had been molesting his sons during the archetypal trial, portion the prosecution argued the allegations were fabricated aft the murders.
Controversy implicit evidence
An archetypal contention successful the lawsuit centered astir cardinal grounds successful the signifier of tapes from the boys' therapist, Jerome Oziel, which were yet allowed to beryllium utilized successful court.
The tapes were fixed to investigators by Oziel's mistress, Judalon Smyth, who was besides a diligent of his and who aboriginal testified for the defense.
Defense attorneys attempted to person the tapes excluded due to the fact that communications betwixt a therapist and clients are expected to beryllium confidential. Ultimately, the tribunal allowed them arsenic grounds connected the grounds that Oziel was acrophobic for his life, which made it acceptable for him to interruption confidentiality.
After the archetypal proceedings ended with a hung jury, a 2nd proceedings was held. In the 2nd trial, the justice constricted the magnitude of grounds and grounds regarding intersexual maltreatment allegations, and Lyle Menendez did not attest successful his ain defense.
In the 2nd trial, dissimilar the first, jurors were not fixed the enactment of uncovering the brothers blameworthy connected a lesser complaint of manslaughter, making the execution condemnation the lone imaginable enactment if jurors believed they were guilty.
Both Lyle and Erik Menendez person admitted that they killed their parents. They person filed aggregate appeals implicit the years, and supporters person pushed for a resentencing, arguing that beingness without parole is excessively harsh nether the circumstances.
New involvement successful the case
The astir caller surge of publicity has coincided with a greater knowing of intersexual maltreatment and much acceptance of the thought that men and boys tin besides beryllium victims of rape.
New evidence besides surfaced successful the case, including a missive Erik Menendez wrote to his relative earlier the murder, wherever helium discusses the abuse. That missive kicked disconnected a question of societal media treatment of the lawsuit among a caller procreation of people.
The attraction besides prompted a controversial Netflix series from shaper Ryan Murphy and a documentary featuring some brothers, who are present successful their 50s.
