THE district attorney overseeing the Menendez brothers’ freedom bid has blasted evidence attempting to prove their father’s alleged abuse in a scathing news conference.
The DA broke down why he believes a letter written by Erik – in which he claimed to fear his father – and boy band member Roy Rosello’s bombshell testimony isn’t enough to get the killers off free.
APThe Los Angeles County district attorney is giving a surprise update on Lyle and Erik Menendez’s push to be released from prison[/caption]
APThe brothers, seen in court in 1996, are fighting for their freedom 36 years after murdering their parents[/caption]
HandoutIt comes one day after Lyle and Erik Menendez spoke out on a podcast about their lives behind bars after being found guilty of their parents’ murders[/caption]
Attorneys have been battling to free Erik and Lyle under habeas corpus – a legal procedure that allows prisoners to challenge their detention and determine whether their sentencing was unlawful.
The brothers’ defense filed an appeal citing two pieces of evidence: a letter allegedly sent by Erik to his late cousin Andy Cano and claims by Rosello that he was molested by their father, Jose Menendez.
Rosello was in the Puerto Rican boyband Menudo and claimed that Jose, who was a successful music producer, raped him when he was 14.
Meanwhile, in the letter which Erik was said to have written before the attack, the killer wrote he was fearful of being attacked by his “crazy” father.
In their appeal, the defense argued these key pieces of evidence proved that Erik and Lyle were abused to the point where they feared for their lives and acted out of self-defense.
However, in Friday’s fiery conference, District Attorney Nathan J Hochman blasted the so-called evidence and said he recommends tossing the habeas corpus argument.
He questioned the legitimacy of the letter, saying it was “inconceivable” that Cano and Erik would both testify in the trial but not bring the glaring piece of evidence to the stand.
As far as Rosello’s claims are concerned, Hochman issued a sobering reminder that sexual abuse does not warrant murder.
This means that even if the brothers were able to prove that their father raped them, they would still be prosecuted for murder.
This was the crucial decision that got them convicted in the first place, and Hochman said he believes the jury and the judge made the correct decision.
Hochman said, in his opinion, the brothers should not be granted a new trial.
After the conference, outraged supporters blasted the DA and said they wouldn’t stop fighting to get the brothers out from behind bars.
Erik’s daughter Talia said she had “no words” but was hopeful the judge would still make the “right choice.”
“I’m glad you weren’t abused as a child,” she fumed in an Instagram post,” and that you get to spend the last quarter of your life with your daughter, who is about my age.
“Shame on you for meeting with our family only to make a mockery of the case back like it was in 1989.
“SA victims worldwide stand with us in this fight and our voices will be heard.”
Lyle Menendez himself appeared to fume over the announcement on a Facebook page run by him and his family.
“Oh, and for those who should know better, her name is Leslie Abramson. ….. Not Leslie Abrahamson,” he said referring to theis lawyer in the original trials.
“Just sayin….I mean, if you can’t even get that right… what else are you getting wrong??”
“To say we are disappointed would be an understatement,” a Menendez brothers justice group on X added.
“This is a slap in the face to survivors who defend themselves.”
Timeline of the Menendez brothers case
Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case dates back more than three decades since their parents were found shot to death at their Beverly Hills mansion.
Below is a timeline of the brothers’ case, starting at the gruesome crime scene:
August 20, 1989 – José and Kitty Menendez are found dead from multiple shotgun wounds.
March 8, 1990 – Lyle is arrested outside his parents’ Beverly Hills mansion.
March 11, 1990 – Erik surrenders to police after flying back into Los Angeles from Israel.
December 1992 – Murder charges against the brothers are officially filed.
July 20, 1993 – The murder trial, highly publicized on Court TV, begins in Los Angeles with Erik and Lyle each having a separate jury.
January 28, 1994 – The first trial ends with two deadlocked juries.
October 11, 1995 – Lyle and Erik’s second trial begins with one jury.
March 20, 1996 – The Menendez brothers are convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
July 2, 1996 – Lyle and Erik are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and sent to separate prisons.
February 22, 2018 – Lyle is transferred to the San Diego prison, where Erik is held.
April 4, 2018 – Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik – the first time the brothers were reunited in over 20 years.
May 2023 – Lyle and Erik’s attorney files a habeas corpus petition after Roy Rosselló, a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, made sexual abuse allegations against Jose Menendez in a Peacock docuseries.
September 19, 2024 – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story releases on Netflix.
October 3, 2024 – Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón says his office is reviewing new evidence in connection with Lyle and Erik’s convictions.
October 7, 2024 – The Menendez Brothers documentary film comes out on Netflix.
October 16, 2024 – Family members of the Menendez brothers hold a press conference begging for the siblings to be released from prison.
October 24, 2024 – Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón recommends the brothers be resentenced.
November 25, 2024 – The Menendez brothers appear in court for a status hearing to learn their resentencing hearing is pushed back from December 11 to allow new DA Nathan Hochman more time to review the case.
January 30-31, 2025 – Erik and Lyle’s resentencing hearing was initially set but had to be rescheduled due to the California wildfires.
March 20-21, 2025 – The brothers are set to go before a judge for their resentencing hearing.
DISTURBING HISTORY
Before the news conference, one of Lyle and Erik’s attorneys predicted the DA would likely address his response to the habeas petition.
The brothers were due to learn their fate at a resentencing hearing beginning on March 20.
The notorious pair were convicted of first-degree murder for murdering their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, with shotguns in 1989.
They were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 and are serving their sentences at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego, California.
The brothers’ case came back into the spotlight due to Ryan Murphy’s limited series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story which delved into the high-profile murders.
And the former DA, George Gascon, took a second look at the case and recommended resentencing.
But he lost re-election and the decision on whether to free the brothers was handed to Hochman, who is the newly elected DA.
BRUTAL BEATING IN PRISON
Earlier this week, a new podcast revealed how Lyle and Erik adjusted to life in prison after being convicted of murder.
They were initially at different prisons but reunited after 21 years when Lyle was transferred to the same facility as Erik in 2018.
“I remember the day I was told Lyle just got assaulted and got his jaw broken,” Erik said.
“At least we could protect each other maybe if we were together, but we were not together.
“I had no one to turn to for help.”
On top of the violent attacks, Erik said he had to “grow and heal” after their father’s alleged abuse.
“When I came to prison, I didn’t come to prison healed, I came to prison dealing with the traumatic wounds of my past,” Erik said.
“I had to face all of those truths and somehow journey through that dark place of prison and try to figure out my traumas.”
APThe brothers’ resentencing case was thrown into chaos when Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman took over the case[/caption]
APMenendez brothers’ aunt Joan Andersen VanderMolen, center, speaks to the media surrounded by family members during a news conference after a hearing on November 25, 2024[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
