Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Family of Lyle and Erik Menendez urged a judge Tuesday to let them out of prison, more than three decades after the brothers shot their parents to death. The pair, who are serving life terms for the notorious double murder, have spent two years trying to get their sentences reduced so they can be released on parole. Their cousin Anamaria Baralt told the hearing Tuesday that the men had been reformed and had earned their freedom.
“We believe that 35 years is enough,” she told a courtroom, as the Menendez brothers watched via videolink from a San Diego prison. “They are universally forgiven by our family. They deserve a second chance at life.” Months of legal back-and-forth have culminated in what is expected to be a two-day hearing in Los Angeles. Every step has been eagerly watched after a public campaign bolstered by celebrity support from the likes of Kim Kardashian and supercharged by the hit Netflix miniseries “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
Blockbuster trials in the 1990s heard how the men killed Jose and Kitty Menendez in their luxury Beverly Hills home, in what prosecutors said was a cynical attempt to get their hands on a large family fortune. The men shot Jose Menendez five times with shotguns, including in the kneecaps. Kitty Menendez died from a shotgun blast in her last desperate bid to crawl away from her killers.
The brothers initially blamed the deaths on a mafia hit, but changed their story several times in the ensuing months. Erik, then 18, confessed to the murders in a session with his therapist, and the brothers ultimately claimed they had acted in self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of a tyrannical father.
Another cousin, Tamara Goodell, told the Los Angeles hearing on Tuesday the men “have made every possible effort to rehabilitate themselves.” “They now see the world through 35 years of healing. They have created careers for themselves in prison.” Diane Hernandez, niece of Kitty Menendez, said the brothers were “remarkable human beings.” “There is absolutely no chance that they would break the law” if released, she said. “Their only desire is to do good.”
Defense lawyers are asking the judge to reduce their clients’ sentence either so that they can be released straight away, or so they can become eligible for parole. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman opposes the resentencing idea. He maintains that the men have never admitted to the lies they told during the investigation of the crimes, having given several discordant explanations for the killings before settling on self-defense. Without such a reckoning with the truth, he claims, the men should not be allowed out of prison.
A separate appeal for clemency is being considered by California Governor Gavin Newsom. There is no definitive timeline on that appeal.
© 2024 AFP
