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Post by kittylady on Oct 25, 2024 0:50:22 GMT
Menendez brothers set to be resentenced for murder of parents after case featured by Netflix
Lyle Menendez and his brother Erik are currently serving life in prison without parole for the shotgun murders of their father and mother - Jose and Kitty Menendez - in 1989. Two brothers who were convicted of killing their parents and featured in Netflix shows could be freed early after 34 years behind bars. Lyle Menendez, 56, and his 53-year-old brother Erik are serving life in prison without parole for the shotgun murders of their father and mother - Jose and Kitty Menendez - in 1989. They were jailed after a trial in 1996 when Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18. On Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon recommended that the pair be resentenced - replacing their life sentence with a sentence of 50 years to life. This would mean the brothers would be eligible for parole immediately because they were under 26 years old at the time of the murders, Mr Gascon said. "Under the law, resentencing is appropriate. I'm going to recommend that to a court tomorrow," the district attorney told a news conference. "I believe they have paid their debt to society." Prosecutors must now seek court approval on the case, with the final decision falling to the judge. It comes after Mr Gascon said his office would be reviewing new evidence that allegedly corroborates claims that Erik was sexually abused by his father, who was a music executive.
Both the brothers claim they killed their parents in self-defence after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their lawyers argue that because of society's changing views on sexual abuse, if tried today the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. But prosecutors contended at the time there was no evidence of any molestation and said the brothers were after their parents' multimillion-dollar estate. Multiple extended family members have united to call for the brothers' release and have formed a "new coalition" called Justice for Erik and Lyle. Speaking after the recommendation was announced on Thursday, Anamaria Baralt, a niece of Jose, said: "Today is a day filled with hope for our family. "This step gives us all hope that the truth will finally be heard and Lyle and Erik can begin to heal from the trauma of their past." Another relative, believed to be a niece of Kitty, added: "This decision is not just a legal matter, it is a recognition of the abuse my cousins endured. "We are grateful to the district attorney for putting justice over politics. We know this wasn't an easy decision but it is the right one. "It is time for Lyle and Erik to come home." Not all Menendez family members support resentencing. Milton Andersen, the 90-year-old brother of Kitty, has filed a legal brief asking the court to keep the brothers' original punishment. The Menendez case was thrust back into the limelight after Monsters, a Netflix drama telling of their story, and a documentary were recently released. Sky News
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Post by dilligaf on Oct 26, 2024 1:32:28 GMT
I'm suspecting they're going to get time served and get released, and suddenly they're going to be everywhere. Guess I better dig into the latest menendez documentary I just ran across this will be number three.
I mean for God's sake I lived through it when it happened originally but Christ that was the tail end of the party years I don't remember much about it hell that might have been deep into the prime of the party years who knows.
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Post by brookie on Oct 26, 2024 2:07:05 GMT
After all this time, what do they come home to? Where do they go?
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Post by thejackiedaytona on Oct 26, 2024 13:16:53 GMT
One (Erik) is married I think. They’ll get rich after release. Are they allowed to profit off this?
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Post by kittylady on Oct 26, 2024 18:31:12 GMT
After all this time, what do they come home to? Where do they go? It sounds like there are extended family members on both sides who are willing to take them and help them transition into life on the outside. |
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Post by no1novice on Oct 26, 2024 19:02:19 GMT
After all this time, what do they come home to? Where do they go? It sounds like there are extended family members on both sides who are willing to take them and help them transition into life on the outside. Except their maternal uncle who doesn't believe a word of it & is painting his sister as this perfect woman, mother, wife. I bet he votes trump too as beaten women syndrome is a real thing. |
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Post by shellee on Oct 29, 2024 0:16:28 GMT
One (Erik) is married I think. They’ll get rich after release. Are they allowed to profit off this? Off topic but I just realized who your Avi is!! Laszlo from what we do in the shadows. I fucking love him!! |
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Post by notoriousmkg on Oct 29, 2024 2:40:11 GMT
There's a number of things about this case that disturb me. One is that while they admitted to the murders to their psychologist, Jerome Oziel, they never mentioned the sexual abuse. Instead, they mentioned that their father was dictatorial, and that their mom was suicidal. These sessions were taped.
The idea that the killings were in self defense is far fetched since the brothers had plotted weeks in advance to buy hand guns, but due to the waiting period, they had to buy shotguns instead. Basically, they were going to kill their parents at a certain date and they were making plans and pursuing alternatives when they didn't work out. The parents were sitting in the living room watching TV at the time they were killed. I've never heard evidence that the parents themselves had any kinds of weapons. In addition, Kitty was not killed right away and instead they had to go back out to the car and loaded their guns with more ammunition to kill her even though she was incapacitated and clearly no longer a threat.
Excluded from both trials was the fact that Lyle wrote a story about a guy who kills his parents for the inheritance money. Lyle and Erik went on to spend something like $700,000 on cars, restaurants, vacations, and private tennis coaches after the killings.
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Post by brookie on Oct 29, 2024 13:44:59 GMT
Wherever they're released, I'm glad I'm not there.
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Post by beeyotch on Oct 31, 2024 12:35:51 GMT
These guys might be assholes and spoiled, but not a danger to society. As long as their father isn't around to sexually abuse them (or the mom around to knowingly let it happen), I don't think they're a threat to anyone's safety.
I can't believe how they were treated in the original trial. I remember it vaguely but now in retrospect and with more information available--namely the family acknowlegement of the abuse and other victims' testimony of abuse by the father--it seems clear it was all just because the public wasn't ready to accept or believe male victims of sexual abuse.
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Post by czb on Oct 31, 2024 20:10:37 GMT
i dunno. i think what made them look bad was their crazy spending after killing their parents. and also shooting the mom so many times at close range.
i do agree that they probably aren't a threat to society.
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Post by notoriousmkg on Oct 31, 2024 20:38:23 GMT
As far as corroboration of their story, all I see is one cousin (who said that one of the brothers told her something) and one former Menudo member. Confiding this in their psychiatrist would have been very powerful but they never said anything.
That being said, I'm not sure what to make of the whole family (with the exception of one person, I guess) getting behind them getting some kind of re-sentencing/early release. That is just wild to me.
Moreover, before the murders, they had committed multiple burglaries in their area (not petty - $100,000 in total value - and from safes) and had been caught and convicted. Jose arranged for Erik to take the fall because he was a minor and would not receive as severe a sentence.
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Post by no1novice on Oct 31, 2024 21:45:06 GMT
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Post by funky on Nov 1, 2024 9:50:29 GMT
The Netflix series made them look like they were lying about being abused, I was conflicted when I watched it. The documentary - not the series - shows more of the evidence that they weren't, and looking at the list of sexual abuse evidence presented in the first trial, I believe they are telling the truth. Also, many one of the former Menudo members accused José Menendez of sexual assault when they were teenager. José would just switch out the band members as soon as they weren't teenagers anymore. There is no denial that that guy was a seriously fucked up monster.
Although proof is very hard to find in any sexual abuse, there were plenty of evidence that have been presented in the first trial. None of it was allowed to be presented in the second trial. For example:
- Naked Photos: there were several pictures found of both brothers naked bodies, with their heads cut off and focused on their genitals.
- Medical Records: Injury to the back of one of the brothers throat at 7 years which was consistent with oral rape. A Dr. testified that this type of injury is an indication of oral rape. It is also worth noting that Dr. / Dentists at that time were not trained to look for this injury in children, but are now. There were several more medical problems that point towards them telling the truth and would nowadays be taken seriously.
- The Cousins: There was not only the letter, but one of their cousin testified that (I think it was Lyle) told him that he was afraid of his dad, coming to his room in the night, and that he wanted him to touch him "down there". The cousin told Kitty, but she said he was making things up. Another cousin testified Erik told him that his dad was massaging his penis and was wondering if this was normal, as it hurts.
And there wore two cousins who would spend some summers at their house, both said José would take the boys to their bedroom and forbid anyone to disturb them or coming close to the bedroom. Additionally, they testified that he took showers with the boys. They were 14 or older at that time.
- Therapy notes of their mother: The notes say that she was hiding sick and embarrassing secrets of their family.
- José showed neighbours during a dinner a movie containing child pornography.
There were several more witnesses and evidences. A brothel madame that said José always wanted girls that are younger than 13 or at least looking like that. He tried to strangle at least one of them, and severely injured another.
They were evaluated by some of the most well respected child abuse and trauma experts and they all concluded they have been severely psychologically abused and molested.
There were a lot of other witnesses. Teachers, coaches, friends, and all were consistent with describing them with traits such as: "extreme dissociating, bed wetting as a teenager, hypersexualized behaviour as children, losing hair at a very young age, sensitivity being touched" and much more that are so very clear that there has been severe abuse going on for years.
Now I'm not saying they are not guilty. The question here is nature vs nurture. Would they have been so messed up growing up in a different household? I believe they were victims of their time. They whole case wouldn't have been treated the way it was if it would have happened today. And not telling their psychiatrist, where most of the time reportedly their father was part of the sessions, is not a proof to me that they are lying. They were beyond fucked up and not being able to think rationally anymore.
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Post by notoriousmkg on Nov 1, 2024 17:00:31 GMT
Funky, thanks for the additional info. I had not seen most of it. Did they say who from Menudo, besides, Roy Rossello, had made accusations? I looked it up and couldn't find any other names.
Also, with the medical records. Injury to the back of the throat at 7 years old. I'm guessing that the Menendez parents kept all the records of doctor visits, or the doctors themselves had them and Lyle was able to state that he was taken in to this particular office to be looked at, and then attorneys followed up?
The fact that the family is so supportive of the brothers makes me also think that they know more stuff, but that to reveal it would make them look bad for ignoring it.
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