Menendez murder case in US to be reviewed
The convictions of Lyle and Eric Menendez is to be reviewed. The brothers were imprisoned over thirty years ago for the murder of their parents. The brothers shot Jose and Kitty Menendez at their mansion in Beverly Hills in California in 1989, with prosecutors saying that it was part of a plot to inherit their father’s fortune.
A Netflix series about the murders was released in September 2024, renewing public interest in the case.
On Thursday, 3rd October, 2024, LA County district attorney George Gascon said that was a “moral and an ethical obligation” to review the evidence submitted by the brothers in 2023. The evidence alleges that their father had sexually abused them and that their actions were in self-defence.
During the original trial, prosecutors said that greed had motivated the killing. This was supported by the Menendez brothers spending some of their inheritance on Rolex watches, cars, and luxury property before they were suspects in the notorious case.
The trial ended with a hung jury after they submitted allegations of the abuse spanning years. A second trial would find them guilty after the abuse claims were largely withheld. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.
New evidence is now being considered. This includes a 1988 letter from Erik Menendez to his cousin reportedly referencing the abuse from his father.
“None of this information has been confirmed,” Gascon, the most senior prosecutor in LA Country, said at a news conference. “We are not, at this point, ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information. But we’re here to tell you that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us.”
The team, he added, “not saying there was anything wrong with the original trial.”
A review, he said, could potentially result either in resentencing or a new trial. A hearing is scheduled for, 26th November, CBS reports.
Gascon has said that his office has received an influx of calls following the release of the controversial Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix.
