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The Menendez brothers, back in the spotlight, have a chance at freedom
The Los Angeles County district attorney dropped a bombshell this week in announcing his office is reviewing the decades-old case involving brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who killed their parents at the family’s Beverly Hills home.
The sensational murders captivated the nation in the 1990s and created a media frenzy. Cameras were allowed in the courtroom for the first trial, which took place at a time when such a thing was still a novel idea. So it’s somewhat fitting that this week’s news comes as the brothers are once again in the public’s gaze, thanks in part to Netflix.
Here’s a look at what we know about the district attorney’s review, what it could mean for the brothers and why this is all happening more than three decades after Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted.
Erik Menendez, second from left, Lyle Menendez and their attorneys appear in court in Los Angeles on Dec. 29, 1992.
(Chris Martinez / Associated Press)
Why is the case being reviewed?
L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said his office is reviewing what he described as new evidence related to the brothers’ allegations of sexual abuse by their father, report my colleagues Salvador Hernandez, Richard Winton and Hannah Fry.
Attorneys for the brothers have long said Erik and Lyle acted in self-defense after suffering years of sexual abuse from their father.
Details of those allegations were presented at the brothers’ first trial, which ended in hung juries. But they were largely withheld in a second trial, in which the brothers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Gascón this week said an issue with the case was whether the jury heard evidence that their father had molested them.
Lyle Menendez, left, and Erik Menendez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica during their trial in 1990.
(Nick Ut / Associated Press)
What is the new evidence?
Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently petitioning the court to vacate their 1996 conviction, citing evidence from a Peacock docuseries, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.”
The three-part series raised allegations that their father, music executive Jose Menendez, had sexually assaulted a former underage member of the 1980s pop band Menudo.
The petition also mentions a recently discovered letter that attorneys say was written by Erik and suggests he was sexually abused by his father into his late teenage years.
The new evidence, the petition argues, directly challenges the prosecution’s argument that the brothers killed their parents for money and that Jose was not the “kind of man that would be abusing his sons.”
Could the brothers be freed?
Yes, though Gascón said he had not made a final decision. The other possibilities include a retrial or a resentencing to a lesser prison term.
A hearing is expected on Nov. 26. Gascón said he wants to “bring finality” to the case by then but didn’t say if his review would be concluded in time.
Actor Cooper Koch, right, plays Erik Menendez in a scene from Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
(MEGA / GC Images)
Why now?
Gascón’s announcement comes amid renewed interest in the murders after Netflix released “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” a drama series about the case and its moment in American culture. The series has topped Netflix’s charts since its release last month, garnering more than 19 million views around the world.
But the popular series has sparked some controversy over its insinuation of an incestuous relationship between Lyle and Erik, something the brothers say is untrue.
Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of the series, told The Times he believes he “did right” by the brothers, describing criticism of the show as “faux outrage.”
Gascón said the move to review the case was not related to the Netflix series. But public interest in the case is likely not going to cool down anytime soon: A new documentary, “The Menendez Brothers,” will be released Oct. 7 on Netflix and will feature interviews with the brothers.
The week’s biggest stories
A woman drops off her presidential primary ballot at the registrar of voters office in Norwalk on March 5.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
Californians broadly support Proposition 36 to get tough on crime, a new poll finds
- One month before the election, a new poll found 60% of California likely voters favored Proposition 36 to impose stiffer penalties for theft and drug crimes.
- The poll also found support for Proposition 32, which would increase the minimum wage, has fallen below 50%.
- And Proposition 33, which would make it easier to enact rent control, received lukewarm support from voters.
- If you want to learn more about what’s on your ballot, check out The Times’ election guides, where you can read up on the races in Los Angeles and L.A. County, the California statewide ballot propositions and other measures.
Mayor Karen Bass selects longtime lawman Jim McDonnell as L.A.’s next police chief
- In selecting McDonnell, Bass is getting a steady hand as the massive security challenges of the World Cup and the Olympic Games loom on the horizon.
- McDonnell helped implement a federal consent decree as an LAPD assistant chief and later was elected Los Angeles County sheriff. He was with the Los Angeles Police Department for 28 years.
Newsom signed a lot of bills this week, including one creating Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes
A whodunit involving bottles of human urine in Pasadena
- Someone has repeatedly left bottles of urine atop a nondescript electrical box in Pasadena. But why? And who is responsible?
- The odd phenomenon has attracted the attention of two filmmakers who have gone to great lengths to find answers.
More big stories
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This morning’s must reads
OnlyFans, trafficking and drug dealers: How a jaguar cub wound up in a California suburb. A California man paid $1,000 to rent a jaguar for an hour-long photo shoot. Then he bought the cub for $25,000, sparking an investigation into the exotic pet trade.
More must reads
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your weekend
Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
(Niko Tavernise / Warner Bros. Pictures)
Going out
Staying in
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.
(Times staff and wire photos)
The first and only debate between vice presidential candidates, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was moderated by which TV news personalities? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
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