Latest news with #Lyle
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cooper Koch Spoke With Erik Menendez After His Resentencing
Earlier this month, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were resentenced to life with parole, paving the way for their possible release from prison. The Menendez brothers are currently serving life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents—the case garnered newfound attention last year thanks to Monsters: the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. In Monsters, Erik is played by Cooper Koch, who revealed yesterday he spoke with Erik after the resentencing news. 'I'm so grateful that that happened,' Koch told Variety of the resentencing. 'And so is Erik, I spoke to him yesterday and he is so excited.' The actor continued that Erik plans to work towards 'a lot of change in the prison system' if he is released. 'He is going to be an advocate for other people who have L.W.O.P, which is life without parole,' Koch said. 'His life is going to surround making change in the prison system, and I just think that is so beautiful.' Koch continued that Erik told him that he and his brother hope that in '10 years, people look back and they say, 'We really made the right decision. Thank God we let them out.'' Erik and Lyle's parole hearing dates were pushed back to Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced earlier this week. This isn't Koch's first time speaking about the brothers; after Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón initially recommended the Menendez brothers for resentencing, the actor posted on Instagram, 'I am overwhelmed with gratitude and hope for the progress we've seen today…[the] recommendation has ignited a renewed sense of possibility that Lyle and Erik could finally be released after decades behind bars. But, this journey is not over.' He added, 'There are still critical steps ahead: the judge must endorse the resentencing, and, if that happens, the parole board must recognize the time they have served as fitting for the crime. Our voices, our unwavering support, remain crucial—not just for the brothers to ensure their release, but also for every victim of sexual abuse fighting to be heard. I hope to see Erik and Lyle soon. Free from all of this.'You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Menendez Brothers' Parole Hearing Delayed by Two Months
Erik and Lyle Menendez are going to have to wait a little longer for the decision on their potential release from prison. The infamous brothers — who have been incarcerated for 30 years for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home — were resentenced earlier this month to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole. Despite LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman's doubts, Judge Michael Jesic determined Erik and Lyle did not pose 'an unreasonable risk' if they were to be released from prison. More from The Hollywood Reporter After Tuesday's Resentencing, What's Next for the Menendez Brothers? Menendez Brothers Resentenced for 1989 Murders of Parents, Clearing Major Hurdle to Regaining Freedom Menendez Brothers Attorney Suddenly Nixes Request for D.A.'s Recusal From Resentencing While their next hearing was initially scheduled for June 13, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced that the brothers' parole hearing dates have been pushed back to Aug. 21 and 22. Lyle addressed the hearing postponement on Facebook, noting that 'it's a good thing' as it gives their attorneys more time to prepare. 'Given the fact that first time parole seekers statistically have a much harder time being granted parole, this gives the guys and their attorneys more time to prepare and gives them the best opportunity to be the exception to the rule! It's a good thing,' the statement read. The June 13 hearing was initially for Gov. Gavin Newsom's clemency review, serving as a piece of the risk assessment exam that would aid in his ruling; however, the hearing was shifted to a parole suitability hearing following the resentencing decision. 'Since the ruling makes them immediately eligible for parole consideration as youth offenders, it is the Board's intent to convert the June 13, 2025, clemency hearings to initial parole suitability hearings,' Scott Wyckoff, executive officer of the Board of Parole Hearings, said in a statement, per the L.A. Times. Newsom's clemency consideration was one of multiple avenues to freedom for the Menendez brothers. Erik and Lyle also saw renewed public interest in their case thanks to Ryan Murphy's Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which released last September and starred Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as the brothers, respectively. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
NDTV
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Menendez Brothers Case Reflects Shifting Culture Across Decades
Los Angeles: The trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez came at a time of cultural obsession with courts, crime and murder, when live televised trials captivated a national audience. Their resentencing - and the now very real possibility of their freedom - came at another, when true crime documentaries and docudramas have proliferated and brought renewed attention to the family. A judge made the Menendez brothers eligible for parole Tuesday when he reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life for the 1989 murder of their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. The state parole board will now determine whether they can be released. Their two trials bookended the O.J. Simpson trial, creating a mid-1990s phenomenon where courts subsumed soap operas as riveting daytime television. "People were not used to having cameras in the courtroom. For the first time we were seeing the drama of justice in real time," said Vinnie Politan, a Court TV anchor who hosts the nightly "Closing Arguments" on the network. "Everyone was watching cable and everyone had that common experience. Today there's a true crime bonanza happening, but it's splintered off into so many different places." The brothers became an immediate sensation with their 1990 arrest. They represented a pre-tech-boom image of young wealthy men as portrayed in many a 1980s movie: the tennis-playing, Princeton-bound prep. For many viewers, this image was confirmed by the spending spree they went on after the killings. Their case continued a fascination with the dark, private lives of the young and wealthy that goes back at least to the Leopold and Loeb murder case of the 1930s, but had been in the air in cases like the Billionaire Boys Club, a 1980s Ponzi scheme that spurred a murder. The first Menendez trial becomes compelling live TV Their first trials in 1993 and 1994 became a landmark for then-new Court TV, which aired it nearly in its entirety. Defense lawyers conceded that they had shot their parents. The jury, and the public, then had to consider whether the brothers' testimony about sexual and other abuse from their father was plausible, and should mean conviction on a lesser charge. The lasting image from the trial was Lyle Menendez crying on the stand as he described the abuse. At the time there had been some public reckoning with the effects of sex abuse, but not nearly to the extent of today. The two juries - one for each brother - deadlocked, largely along gender lines. It reflected the broader cultural reaction - with women supporting a manslaughter conviction and men a guilty verdict for first-degree murder. A tough-on-crime era, and a Menendez trial sequel The trials came at a time when crime in the U.S. was at an all-time high, a tough-on-crime stance was a prerequisite for holding major political office, and a wave of legislation mandating harsher sentences was passed. That attitude appeared to prevail when, at their second trial, the brothers were both convicted of first-degree murder. As Associated Press trial reporter Linda Deutsch, who covered both trials along with Simpson's and countless others, wrote in 1996: "This time, the jury rejected the defense claim that the brothers murdered their parents after years of sexual abuse. Instead, it embraced the prosecution theory that the killings were planned and that the brothers were greedy, spoiled brats who murdered to get their parents' $14 million fortune." The second trial was not televised and got less attention. "There were no cameras, it was in the shadow of O.J. so it didn't have the same spark and pop as the first one," Politan said. The Menendez brothers become a distant memory They had become too well-known to be forgotten, but for decades, the Menendez brothers faded into the background. Occasional stories emerged about the brothers losing their appeals, as did mugshots of them aging in prison. "The public's memory of them was, 'Yeah, I remember that trial, the guys with the sweaters in court,'" Politan said. That would change in the era of true-crime TV, podcasts and streamers. True crime goes big The 2017 NBC drama series "Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders," wasn't widely watched, but still brought the case new attention. The next decade would prove more important. The 2023 Peacock docuseries "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed" included a former member saying he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was 14. At about the same time, the brothers submitted a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin about his father's abuse before the killings. The new true-crime wave would continue to promote them, even if the portrayal wasn't always flattering. " Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," a drama created by Ryan Murphy on Netflix, made them beautiful and vain buffoons, and the actors were shown shirtless on provocative billboards. Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez brought Oscar-winning star power to the project that dropped in September of last year. That was followed a month later by a documentary on Netflix, "The Menendez Brothers." Together, the shows had the public paying more attention to the case than it had since the trials. Almost simultaneously came a real-life turning point, when then- Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said he was reviewing new evidence in the case. The office of Gascon's successor, Nathan Hochman, opposed the resentencing. Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian constantly sought at hearings to make sure the "carnage" caused by the brothers wasn't forgotten, and repeatedly emphasized that they "shotgunned, brutally, their parents to death." But the shifts in public perception and legal actions were already in motion. The judge's decision to reduce their charges came not with the drama of the televised trial, but in a short hearing in a courtroom that wouldn't allow cameras. The broader public never saw. Despite his opposition, Hochman was reflective in a statement after the resentencing. "The case of the Menendez brothers has long been a window for the public to better understand the judicial system," Hochman said. "This case, like all cases - especially those that captivate the public - must be viewed with a critical eye. Our opposition and analysis ensured that the Court received a complete and accurate record of the facts. Justice should never be swayed by spectacle."
Newsweek
15-05-2025
- Newsweek
Menendez Brothers' Lawyer on Parole Prospects: 'People Capable of Change'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An attorney for Erik and Lyle Menendez spoke with Newsweek about the brothers' parole prospects, saying: "Judge Jesic's ruling to allow a chance at parole for the Menendez brothers recognizes the profound truth that people are capable of change." Cliff Gardner told Newsweek that Judge Michael Jesic's decision to reduce the life-without-parole sentence to a 50-year-to-life sentence shows that the judge recognized the Menendez brothers' "extraordinary rehabilitation" in prison. Under California law, the new sentence opens the brothers up to the possibility of parole, as they were convicted of murdering their parents when they were under the age of 26. Why It Matters The parole opportunity for the Menendez brothers demonstrates how much prison programs aimed at rehabilitation and personal growth can impact the fate of a prisoner, even if they are supposed to be imprisoned for life. Although Gardner says this decision is solely down to their work in prison, other lawyers told Newsweek that the recent media frenzy around the brothers, stemming from their Netflix drama and countless documentaries, also assisted in gaining the traction necessary to reduce their sentence, showing the impact of popular media on the justice system. Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave a courtroom in Santa Monica, California, on August 6, 1990. Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave a courtroom in Santa Monica, California, on August 6, 1990. Nick Ut, File/AP Photo What To Know Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of murdering both of their parents at their home in 1989. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 when they were sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole. Lyle is now 57, and Erik is now 54. The brothers argued in court and have maintained to this day that they committed the murders due to years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father. The prosecution in 1996 successfully argued that the brothers killed their parents to receive their sizable inheritance. However, in the years following the trial, their work in prison providing therapy to other victims of childhood abuse, coupled with popular documentaries and a Netflix dramatization of their lives, has swayed public opinion in their favor. While in prison, Lyle Menendez worked for Guide Dogs of America, where he trained dogs to assist veterans, children with autism, and blind people. He formed a friendship with comedian Rosie O'Donnell through that program, as she got a service dog from that program for her autistic child. "They have served over three decades in prison and have grown into intelligent, caring, sensitive men," O'Donnell told Newsweek following news of the Menendez brothers' resentencing. Gardner told Newsweek about the brothers' work: "After 35 years of consistent good behavior and personal growth in prison, this decision affirms the value of redemption and the human potential for transformation." Jesic echoed this sentiment in court on Tuesday, saying that although it is not up to him to decide whether the brothers should be released from prison, "I do believe they've done enough in the past 35 years that they should get that chance." Although they have not been offered parole yet, experts told Newsweek it is highly likely they will be offered a parole hearing in the next few months. Supporters of Erik and Lyle Menendez, including their cousin Anamaria Baralt (C) embrace after the brothers' resentencing hearing on May 13, 2025, in Los Angeles. Supporters of Erik and Lyle Menendez, including their cousin Anamaria Baralt (C) embrace after the brothers' resentencing hearing on May 13, 2025, in Los Angeles. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo What People Are Saying Attorney Cliff Gardner told Newsweek: "No one is the worst thing they have ever done in their life. No one is the best thing. Judge Jesic properly recognized that despite the nature of the crime, the extraordinary rehabilitation Erik and Lyle have shown over 35 years in some of the harshest prisons in our state merits at least a chance at life outside prison." Criminal defense attorney Eric Faddis told Newsweek: "The parole board considers several factors in determining release and those factors appear to weigh in favor of the brothers, including a lack of other criminal history, significant family support, a stable environment post-release, efforts while in prison to combat child sexual abuse, and the crime resulting in part from prior abuse at the hands of the father, at least according to defense." What Happens Next Legal experts expect the brothers to be released on parole. However, the parole board could take months to reach that decision as it is currently backed up with cases.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
The Menendez brothers' resentencing would have shocked 1990s L.A.
I never caught the slew of documentaries and dramatizations about The Menendez Brothers, whose notoriety in Southern California is such that they should just trademark their names already. So imagine my surprise last year when then-L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced he backed a resentencing of the brothers, arguing 35 years was enough time for the crime of murdering their parents — and besides, they had expressed enough remorse. And imagine my surprise yesterday, when L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic agreed. The Menendez brothers now face 50 years to life in prison, which makes them eligible for parole because they committed their murders before they were 26 years old, according to my colleagues James Queally and Richard Winton — the Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani of local crime reporting. Not only that, they have a clemency hearing before the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom next month. Growing up in a Latino Catholic household in Southern California in the 1990s, there were no monsters worse than Erik and Lyle Menendez. I was 10 years old when their parents, Jose and Kitty, were brutally killed in their Beverly Hills home. Their sons were arrested on suspicion of murdering their parents the following year and went through two trials before a jury found them guilty of first-degree murder in 1996. A judge sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Everyone figured that was that. Erik and Lyle garnered next to no public sympathy that I could remember. Lyle did them no favors by going on spending sprees in the months after their parents' deaths, according to witnesses. Nobody bought the story that the two did it because Jose sexually abused them while Kitty did nothing. It also didn't help that courtroom footage and photos of the Menendez brothers — Erik's intense stare, Lyle's dead eyes, both wearing pastel sweaters in an effort to soften their image — cast them as poor little rich boys who thought they could get away with anything. The teenage part of me today still can't believe Erik and Lyle have any supporters at all. Who would ever support someone who shot their mother dead while she was trying to crawl away, as Lyle testified in the first trial? The adult part of me knows that public perception of them has dramatically changed in the time they've been imprisoned. A series of updates supported their story that their father had abused them. A Netflix show produced by Ryan Murphy softened their image; a Netflix documentary retold their story to a new generation. More important, their extended family united to argue they and the brothers have suffered enough and want to close the sad Menendez saga once and for all. 'I don't think they are the same people they were 30 years ago,' Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers, said on the stand during the resentencing hearing. At this point, the only person who seems to be angry about the idea of the Menendez brothers having a chance at parole is L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. He unsuccessfully fought to overturn Gascon's request for a resentencing hearing, and his prosecutors unsuccessfully argued against it at the Van Nuys courthouse on Tuesday. Hochman's office was so unsuccessful, in fact, that Judge Jesic issued his ruling after just a day of hearings, when everyone expected at least two. The Menendez brothers' parole hearing still hasn't been scheduled, and Newsom and future governors can keep them incarcerated forever. But teenage me never would have believed they could get to this point. What's next, he would have asked: OJ Simpson, a criminal? Sky says: 'Midnight Rider by the Allman Brothers.'Paul says: 'Lyin' Eyes by The Eagles.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. On May 15, 1940, the first McDonald's restaurant was opened by brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino. Three years ago, Times columnist Patt Morrison wrote about how Southern California has given the world so much, including fast food giants that began as mom-an-pop undertakings, or pop-and-son enterprises, and wound up as corporate owned chains. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Gustavo Arellano, California columnistKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
