Latest news with #Menendez+Menudo
Business Insider
14-05-2025
- Business Insider
Lyle and Erik Menéndez have been resentenced with parole, bringing them a step closer to release. What to know about their murder case.
The brothers were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for murdering their parents, Jos Menndez and Kitty Menndez, in 1989. Their story resurfaced in the public discourse after Netflix released a documentary and a true crime drama series about the case last year. The drama, " Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menndez Story," became an instant hit and stayed at the top of Netflix's most-watched chart for two weeks, while the documentary, "The Menndez Brothers," which came out days later, featured new interviews with the siblings. A title card at the end of the documentary briefly mentions that the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition in May 2023 to vacate their murder both Netflix projects leave out most details about the brothers' attempts to appeal their sentences. Lyle Menndez and Erik Menndez's attorneys said new evidence could prove their father abused them The brothers admitted to killing their parents before their first trial, so the jury was tasked with understanding why. While the prosecution argued the pair wanted their parents' money, the brothers said that they acted in self-defense because their father physically and sexually abused them, enabled by their mother. They said they feared their father would eventually kill them. The brothers' first trial ended in 1994 with a hung the second trial, Judge Stanley M. Weisberg limited testimonies related to the brothers' abuse claims and removed the jury's option of voting on a manslaughter charge. The jury chose that the brothers were guilty of murder in the second trial. The brothers petitioned an appeal in 2023, which journalist Robert Rand, who has reported on their case since the '90s, shared on X. The petition included a letter Erik Menndez sent to his cousin Andy Cano a year before the murders, where he writes that he is avoiding his father and alludes to being afraid of him. My reporting on the Menendez/Menudo connection goes back 30 years. The habeas petition is partially based on major new evidence revealed in the @peacock documentary 'Menendez + Menudo Boys Betrayed.' — Rob Rand Wants Justice for the Menendez Brothers (@MenendezRand) November 28, 2023 The petition also includes a declaration from Roy Rosell, a former member of the boy band Menudo, who was signed to the record label where Jos Menndez was an executive. He said Jos Menndez drugged and raped him when he was a teenager, and made him perform sexual acts on two other occasions. The brothers' attorney hoped this would prove they were defending themselves against abuse to get the lesser charge of manslaughter. The creators of "Monsters" and "The Menndez Brothers" said they didn't want to get involved in the case This new evidence was released partway through the production of "Monsters" and " The Menndez Brothers," which may explain why it wasn't included. "The Menndez Brothers" producers Ross Dinerstein and Rebecca Evans told The Hollywood Reporter in October 2024 that they worked on the documentary for four years and wrapped shooting in 2023. Evans said: "The habeas was filed in 2023, and so for us, when we were making the documentary, we felt like, we're not here to litigate a case. We're not here to present evidence, or new evidence in that way, alongside the attorneys. Our feeling was that this was a story that took place then, and this was all of our research on it." "Monsters" was also likely written before May 2023, even though the production was delayed due to the writers' and actors' strike in 2023. "Monsters" co-creator Ryan Murphy told Variety in September 2024: "I believe in justice, but I don't believe in being a part of that machine. That's not my job. My job as an artist was to tell a perspective in a particular story." He added that the series was "the best thing that has happened to the Menndez brothers in 30 years" because it rekindled public interest in their case. But Laurie L. Levenson, a law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, told Business Insider in October 2024 that a true crime series must present solid evidence to make a difference in a courtroom. "In terms of it being the best thing that ever happened, only if it leads to evidence to actually overturn the case, which I still think is a real upward battle," she said. The Los Angeles County District Attorney started the process of resentencing the brothers in late 2024. On October 3, 2024, George Gascn, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, told a press conference that his office was reviewing the brothers' case. Later that month, the LA County District Attorney's office told Business Insider in an email that the "process was already underway" before "Monsters" premiered, and a hearing was set for November 29. On October 24, 2024, Gascn told a press conference that he had moved the decision date because his office was "flooded with requests for information" after "Monsters" premiered. "I decided to move this forward because, quite frankly, we did not have enough resources to handle all their requests, and one of the things that I thrive to do in this office is to be very transparent in everything that we do," he said. Gascn said that he would recommend the brothers be sentenced to 50 years to life and be eligible for parole immediately. "I came to a place where I believe that under the law, resentencing is appropriate, and I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow," Gascon said. Gascn said it was right that the brothers were convicted of murder, but that he believed they had been rehabilitated in prison. In a resentencing memo filed on October 24, 2024, deputies in the DA office's resentencing unit wrote that the Menndez brothers "have demonstrated they no longer present a public safety risk" and that their "current sentence is no longer in furtherance of justice." The resentencing is separate from the brothers' petition to vacate their sentences, meaning they'd still have to appear before a parole board to argue their case before being freed. The same day, Gascn told CNN that he disagreed with the petition's argument and thought resentencing was more appropriate. "I think that the conviction was appropriate given what was there," Gascn said. In October 2024, Gascn also supported the Menndez brothers' petition to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, for clemency, which was separate from the court hearings. Newsom has full power to reduce their sentence or grant a pardon, which means the brothers now have three paths to freedom. The new District Attorney opposed the Menndez brothers' request for freedom. Gascn wasn't re-elected and the resentencing hearing was pushed back to allow the new DA, Nathan Hochman, to review the evidence. In February, Hochman told a press conference that his office asked the court to deny the Menndez brothers' habeas corpus petition. He said he believed the evidence they presented wasn't new, wasn't relevant to their self-defense claims, and did not meet the legal standards for petitioning. The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, an initiative that includes the brothers' family members and is advocating for their release, told ABC News at the time that Hochman's comments dismissed the brothers' abuse. "We are profoundly disappointed by his remarks, in which he effectively tore up new evidence and discredited the trauma they experienced," the coalition said. "To say it played no role in Erik and Lyle's action is to ignore decades of psychological research and basic human understanding." In March, Hochman told a press conference that his office was motioning to oppose the brothers' resentencing, saying they had not fully accepted responsibility for their crimes because they continued to say they acted in self-defense. Hochman also said the brothers have made 20 lies before and during their trial and only admitted to four of them. The judge, Michael Jesic, denied the motion, so the court continued the resentencing hearings. Amid the drama, Newsom also requested the brothers' parole board in February to carry out a "comprehensive risk assessment" investigation into whether the brothers pose "an unreasonable risk to the public" if they are released. Judge Michael Jesic resentenced the Menndez brothers to 50 years to life with parole. A hearing was held on May 9 to discuss the parole board's risk assessment. ABC News reported that the assessment found that the brothers pose a moderate risk to the community if released because they broke multiple rules in prison. But on Tuesday, Jesic approved the brothers' resentencing, meaning they can now appeal to a parole board to be released. This process can take years, but the brothers continue to pursue the petition and clemency cases, which could speed up their release.
IOL News
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Reality check: Diddy and Menendez Brothers documentaries show truth is stranger than fiction
If you enjoy documentaries, two offerings are bound to pique your interest. The first is 'Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy', which delves into the rise and fall of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, offering insight into his childhood, meteoric rise to a music mogul, and arrest. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Of course, with the heightened interest around Diddy, who is currently behind bars awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges on May 5, this documentary is perfectly timed. It offers intimate knowledge of the star before he got caught up in the whirlwind of fame of fortune. The documentary feature opens with Diddy ranting, followed by poignant moments that led to his current situation. These include video footage, from March 16, of him physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. It shifts to the raid on March 25, 2024. Those who knew him, either as a friend, associate, or bodyguard, unpacked their knowledge of him. This includes Tim Patterson, a childhood friend, who acknowledges that while Diddy is regarded as public enemy number one and has been monsterised, the person he knew was somewhat different. Growing up in Mount Vernon, the boujee north side, Diddy grew up with the best of everything. He described his style as a 4-year-old in a 30-year-old's wardrobe. Patterson recalled how he was bullied and how he protected Combs before they parted ways, with him joining the army. In becoming this untouchable music mogul, Diddy was linked to many violent acts, including beefs with other artists, but he always seemed to avoid any legal punishment, until now, that is. This disturbing feature, which includes archived video footage and photos, is underpinned by feedback from his friend Rich Parker, Gene Deal, his bodyguard from 1991 - 2005, and Dr Carolyn West, a domestic violence and sex trafficking expert, among others. This is available on DStv Catch Up as well as Showmax. 'Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed' is a three-part docu-series, which brings some shocking facts to light. Another headline-grabbing story that's been revisited is M-Net's 'Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed', a three-part offering, which debuted on Thursday. It delves into the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who infamously killed their parents in 1989. The brothers accused their father of abuse as children, which was key to their defence, however, they were eventually found guilty and have spent their lives behind bars. However, a former Menudo member Roy Rosselló, claimed that Jose Menendez - then an executive at RCA Records, which signed Menudo to a multimillion-dollar contract, raped him as well. The stories by the brothers and the artists raise pertinent questions around child sexual abuse cases.
