The Menendez Brothers case has been resurfaced and is currently being reevaluated based on new evidence.
Back in Aug. 20 of 1989, then 21- and 18-year-old, Lyle and Erik Menendez, have allegedly shot their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez in their living room of their Beverly hills mansion.
During their initial trial, defense attorney Leslie Abramson argued that brothers shot their parents out of fear of being killed by their parents. The trial resulted into a mistrial in 1994, due to a deadlocked jury.
In their second trial, the brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder in 1996 after prosecutors revealed of evidence of sexual abuse and accused the brothers of lying. They were both sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Newly submitted files reveals new information detailing the Jose’s alleged abuse against the brothers. It was revealed in a letter written by Erik to his cousin that Jose have abused them.
Another alleged victim, former member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, spoke out in 2023 Peacock documentary “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.” Roy Rosselló alleged that he was abused by José Menendez when he was 14.
Los Angeles county district attorney George Gascón noted that the Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has sparked “tremendous interest” in the case. The show has been criticized its depiction of the brothers with Erik calling the show a “disheartening slander” according to a statement on X written by his wife. Gascón believes the Menendez brothers shouldn’t be in prison for the rest of their lives implying that “I don’t think they deserve to be in prison until they die.”
Family members have spoken up advocating for their release in a press conference. “If Lyle and Erik’s case were heard today, with the understanding we now have about abuse and PTSD, there is no doubt in my mind that their sentencing would have been very different,” said Anamaria Baralt, a niece of José Menendez.
Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Rosie O’Donnell also came to their defense. Kardashian wrote in an essay for NBC News that “…they are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent, and honest men,”
O’Donnell told impact x nightline that “they were not horrible kids” and they were tortured by their pedophile predator father and very compliant mother who had no interest in them.
Alan Abrahamson, still believe that the brothers killed their parents for money and that the jury got it right, given their lavish spending spree in the aftermath of the killings.
The prosecutor from their first trail, Pamela Bozanich said “the only reason we’re doing this special (documentary) is because of the TikTok movement to free the Menendi,” she adds that “if that’s how we’re going to try cases now, why don’t we just, like, have a poll?”
One of the brothers’ attorneys Cliff Gardner, told the associated press that they believe resentencing is “appropriate,” given the new evidence and the current “understanding of how sexual and physical abuse impacts children — both boys and girls.”
Carlos Cuevas, a northeastern professor of criminology and criminal justice, says the case of the brothers signals a major shift in how society views male victims of childhood sexual abuse. He also says since the Menendez sentencing there has been growing recognition that childhood sexual abuse affects boys as well as girls.
A hearing is set for 26 November of this year.
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