Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – A re-sentencing hearing for Lyle and Erik Menendez over the bloody murder of their wealthy parents was delayed Friday as Los Angeles grapples with devastating wildfires. The pair were jailed for life after a blockbuster trial in the 1990s detailing the gruesome slayings of Jose and Kitty Menendez at the family’s luxury Beverly Hills mansion.
But a growing campaign to free the brothers — given new life by a hit Netflix series — has opened the door to a reduced sentence, with Los Angeles officials seemingly receptive to their lawyer’s overtures. A January 30-31 hearing was postponed Friday until March 20-21, the office of District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. Local media cited Hochman saying agreement had been reached between prosecutors and defense because of the impact the fires would have on the “extensive preparations” required.
Los Angeles is staggering under the weight of a sprawling disaster that has killed at least 27 people and forced tens of thousands from their homes. Around 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) have been burned and thousands of buildings lie in ruins. At the time of the conviction, prosecutors said the brothers had plotted to murder their parents in a bid to hasten a $14 million inheritance.
Supporters insist the 1989 killings were an act of desperate self-defense by young men subjected to years of sexual abuse and psychological violence at the hands of an abusive father and a complicit mother. Erik Menendez, now 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, have spent more than three decades behind bars. A previous court hearing — at which the men were due to appear by videolink from prison — was a blockbuster event in its own right, with a lottery system in place for spots in the public gallery.
© 2024 AFP
