Los Angeles judge postpones release hearing for Menendez brothers By Reuters
Written by Jackie Luna and Daniel Trotta
Los Angeles – A judge in Los Angeles County postponed the hearing on the non-release of Lyle and Erik Menendez after 35 years in prison for killing their parents with a gun, saying he wants to hear a new district attorney and they will start working on December 3.
“I’m not ready to go forward,” Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said during the hearing. “I want the new administration to check the documents.”
The Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole after a second trial in two highly publicized murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.
The case caught the attention of the US in the 1990s because of the brothers’ wealth and privilege as the sons of a record company and entertainment executive. Netflix’s (NASDAQ: ) recent series of documentaries raised new evidence and renewed public interest in the case.
That evidence supported their allegations that they had been sexually abused by their father for years, leading the outgoing district attorney to support their release.
At Monday’s hearing, defense attorneys sought to reduce their murder charge to voluntary manslaughter, which would make them eligible for parole.
The judge rescheduled the trial for Jan. 30 but decided to hear the testimony of two Menendez relatives who support the release of the brothers, now aged 56 and 53. prevented them from watching, at least for a while.
The brothers said they were victims of abuse when prosecutors said they wanted their parents’ wealth worth millions of dollars. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at the time of the murder.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said new evidence combined with a modern understanding of sexual assault has led him to call for the Mendez brothers’ extradition, saying they must pay their debt to society.
But Gascon ultimately lost the November 5 election and will step down on December 3.
Incoming District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not taken a position in the case.
Gascon said there is no doubt that the brothers killed their parents but he cited a letter Erik Menendez allegedly wrote to his cousin eight months before the murder where he talks about abuse.
Investigators are also looking into allegations by a member of the 1980s pop group Menudo that he was abused by Jose Menendez. Those allegations were published last year in a Peacock documentary series called “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.”
Had the evidence been presented at trial, the jury may have reached a different conclusion, Gascon said.
