Latest news with #LACountySuperiorCourt
Metro
14-05-2025
- Metro
Menendez brothers could be freed in major twist to one of worst true crime sagas
Two brothers at the centre of one of the most horrific murder cases in the 20th century will have a new shot at freedom after rotting for 35 years in prison. Erik and Lyle Menendez – better known as the Menendez brothers, whose tale was engraved into public memory through Netflix's 'Monsters' series – have had their life sentences reduced by a California judge. This means the murderers could soon be freed in what would be an almost unbelievable twist to one of America's worst true crime sagas. Last year, the then Los Angeles district attorney George Gascon requested a change to their sentence from life without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. Because they committed the crime under the age of 26, they are eligible for parole. LA County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said: 'I am not saying they should be released, it's not for me to decide,' 'I do believe they've done enough in the past 35 years that they should get that chance.' The state parole board must still decide whether to release the brothers from prison. Erik and Lyle Menendez, 54 and 57 years old, did not show any apparent emotion during most of the testimony as they appeared via livestream video. They chuckled when one of their cousins, Diane Hernandez, told the court that Erik received A+ grades in all of his classes during his most recent semester in college. The judge said on Tuesday that prosecutors must prove that if released, the brothers still pose a risk of committing a violent crime again. Erik and Lyle Menendez were just 18 and 21 when, in August 1989, they walked into their Beverly Hills mansion and shot their wealthy parents, José and Kitty Menendez. In August 1989, the bodies of Jose and Kitty Menendez are found in their sprawling Beverly Hills mansion. Their two sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez, survive. In March 1990, Lyle Menendez, 21, was arrested. Just days later, Erik Menendez, 18, turns himself into authorities. The pair are then both accused of first-degree murder of their parents. It took years for the case to go to trial, with each brother facing trial with a separate jury in July 1993. More Trending The court heard from the prosecution that the brothers killed their parents to get their money. But the brothers argued they acted out of self-defence after emotional and sexual abuse from their father, spanning years. In January 1994, both juries deadlocked, meaning a retrial had to begin with a single jury in October 1995. In March 1996, seven years after the murders of Kitty and Jose, their sons Lyle and Erik are convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman cleared of having illegal abortion tells of 'horrific' wait for justice MORE: British girl, 18, missing for days in Thailand arrested nearly 4,000 miles away MORE: Mum who beat cancer four times 'shot dead by man in freak accident'
CBS News
26-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approve controversial plan to increase daily wildfire debris dumping at landfills
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a controversial plan that will increase daily dumping limits at three county landfills as crews continue to process debris from the Palisades and Eaton Fire burn zones. The decision comes despite days worth of protest from residents across the county, especially those living near the Calabasas Landfill, which had dumping restrictions removed by board members on Tuesday. The daily allowance of dumping will also be increased at the Lancaster Landfill and the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills as well. Typically the Calabasas Landfill only accepts waste from the surrounding areas, including Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks. Now, the landfill will accept material from outside of that specific area for at least six months. Both the Sunshine Canyon and Lancaster landfills have already been operating as wildfire debris dumping sites, but Tuesday's resolution will increase the daily tonnage limit from 12,000 to 15,000 at the Granada Hills-based landfill, and from 3,000 tons to 7,000 tons in Lancaster. The Lancaster Landfill was already operating on a temporary waiver to accept up to 5,000 tons a day as it was drawing debris from the Bridge Fire, which burned in 2024 in the Angeles National Forest. Prior to Tuesday's vote, the supervisors were met with the displeasure of hundreds of residents denouncing the plan. They voiced a myriad of concerns but focused mainly on the potential toxicity that could spread from the ongoing disposal of waste from the fires. Among those were Calabasas Mayor Peter Kraut and Mayor pro tem James Bozajian, who have vocally expressed their opposition to the local landfill's use for fire debris. "We have little reason to believe hazardous and non-hazardous materials can be separated," Bozajian said at the meeting. The city previously filed a temporary restraining order that prevented typical intakes at the landfill, but a LA County Superior Court judge ruled against it. Both county and federal officials who also joined Tuesday's meeting said that hazardous wastes removed from the fire zones by the United States Environmental Protection Agency were not being taken to any of the landfills. They said they were instead being taken to other dumps that were capable of handling such debris. On top of that, they contended that debris like ash and wood being removed from fire zones by Army Corp of Engineers is being packaged, delivered and stored at dumps in a way that won't present any danger to the community. Their arguments were not met with satisfaction from residents. "The health and well-being of our residents should not be jeopardized in the name of expedience," said Randi Feilich, the vice chair of the Calabasas Environmental Commission. "It is necessary that the county take every measure necessary to ensure full remediation of any harmful toxins." "Chemicals from the TVs, the iPads, the laptops. All of that that was in these homes is in this ash and it can't be separated," said Kelly Martino, a Calabasas resident speaking with KCAL News. Phase 1 of hazardous material removal is expected to be fully completed by the end of the week, with Phase 2 already underway in some areas.
