More than 28 years after being convicted of murdering their parents, brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new hearing on November 29.
Sentenced to life in 1996 for a crime dating back to August 20, 1989, the Menendez brothers have been in prison for more than 28 years. But a new element could shake things up. What to get the brothers out of prison?
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced that a new element could work in favor of the defense: “We have been provided with new evidence. We were provided with a letter that was sent by one of the brothers to another family member discussing the harassment he was experiencing.”
The two brothers had in fact pleaded guilty to the murder of their parents, explaining that they had committed it to save their lives, after having been harassed throughout their youth, in particular by their father, who allegedly sexually abused them, according to them.
George Gascón continues by explaining that in addition to the letter, other evidence could work in favor of the two brothers: “We also have proof, which was provided by the defense, by their lawyers, that one of the members of the Menudo group was also allegedly harassed by the father of the two brothers.”
The moral obligation to consider what has been presented to us
The new hearing could lead to a new trial of the two brothers or a change in their conviction (a reduced sentence) but the Los Angeles district attorney clarified that no decision had been made: “no information has so far been confirmed. At this point, we cannot say whether we believe this information, but we are here to say that we have a moral and ethical obligation to consider what has been presented to us. We must determine whether they deserve a different sentence, even though they are the murderers, because they have already served many years in prison and paid their debt to society. If there had been other evidence presented to the court at the time of their sentencing, perhaps the jury would have reached a different conclusion.”
As a reminder, both are currently at the heart of the “Monsters” series broadcast on Netflix.
