Current:Home > InvestMenendez brothers’ family to push for their release as prosecutors review 1989 case -Aspire Money Growth
Menendez brothers’ family to push for their release as prosecutors review 1989 case
View
Date:2025-04-24 23:58:00
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The extended family of Erik and Lyle Menendez will advocate for the brothers’ release from prison during a news conference set for Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles as prosecutors review new evidence to determine whether they should be serving life sentences for killing their parents.
Billed as “a powerful show of unity” by more than a dozen family members — including the brothers’ aunt — who are traveling across the country to Los Angeles, the news conference will take place less than two weeks after LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced his office was looking at the brothers’ case again.
Erik Menendez, now 53, and his 56-year-old brother, Lyle Menendez, are currently incarcerated in state prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago.
Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989 but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
The extended family’s attorney Bryan Freedman previously said they strongly support the brothers’ release. Comedian Rosie O’Donnell also plans to join the family on Wednesday.
“She wishes nothing more than for them to be released,” Freedman said earlier this month of Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister and the brothers’ aunt.
Earlier this month, Gascón said there is no question the brothers committed the 1989 murders, but his office will be reviewing new evidence and will make a decision on whether a resentencing is warranted in the notorious case that captured national attention.
The brothers’ attorneys said the family believed from the beginning they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that ultimately led to the brothers’ murder conviction, attorney Mark Geragos previously said.
The case has gained new traction in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming the true-crime drama “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. ”
The new evidence includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his attorneys say corroborates the allegations that he was sexually abused by his father. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 29.
Prosecutors at the time contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.
But the brothers have said they killed their parents out of self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their attorneys argue that because of society’s changing views on sexual abuse, that the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole today.
Jurors in 1996 rejected a death sentence in favor of life without parole.
veryGood! (87)
Related
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Blake Lively Reveals If Her and Ryan Reynolds' Kids Are Ready to Watch Her Movies
- 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 finale is a big anticlimax: Recap
- PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Monday Aug. 5, 2024
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- National Root Beer Float Day: How to get your free float at A&W
- Political rivals. Badminton adversaries. What to know about Taiwan-China
- 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 finale: Date, time, cast, where to watch and stream
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Canada looks to centuries-old indigenous use of fire to combat out-of-control wildfires
Ranking
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- The Bachelorette’s Andi Dorfman Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Blaine Hart
- 2024 Olympics: Italy's Alice D’Amato Wins Gold After Simone Biles, Suni Lee Stumble in Balance Beam Final
- Ends Tonight! Get a $105 Good American Bodysuit for $26 & More Deals to Take on Khloé Kardashian's Style
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Political rivals. Badminton adversaries. What to know about Taiwan-China
- Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Olympic gold medal
- Video shows hulking rocket cause traffic snarl near SpaceX launch site
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Horoscopes Today, August 3, 2024
Chinese businesses hoping to expand in the US and bring jobs face uncertainty and suspicion
Amazon: Shoppers are distracted by big news events, like assassination attempt
What to watch: O Jolie night
Social media bans could deny teenagers mental health help
Frontier Airlines pilot arrested at Houston airport, forcing flight’s cancellation
Canada looks to centuries-old indigenous use of fire to combat out-of-control wildfires