Latest news with #Menendez+Menudo:BoysBetrayed
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Will the Menendez Brothers Be Freed from Prison? What We Know About the Results of Their Resentencing
In 1996, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering their parents, Kitty and José Menendez Nearly three decades later, on May 13, a California judge resentenced the brothers to 50 years to life in prison Now, they are eligible for parole for the first timeAfter spending over 30 years in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents, the Menendez brothers have a shot at freedom. On May 13, a California judge ruled that Erik and Lyle Menendez would be resentenced from life in prison without parole to 50 years to life in prison, nearly 36 years after they shot and killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills, Calif., home. In 1989, Erik confessed to his psychologist, whose mistress later reported it to the police. The brothers were arrested and, after two trials, eventually convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder, receiving life sentences without the possibility of parole. Now, the resentencing makes Erik and Lyle immediately eligible for parole and allows Gov. Gavin Newsom to commute their sentence, per Fox 11 Los Angeles. The Menendez siblings made a virtual video appearance at the hearing and took 'full responsibility' for the murders, Fox News reported. Lyle said that he was 'filled with rage' at the time and that if he had the coping skills to deal with his emotions, he wouldn't have killed his parents. Here's everything to know about the Menendez brothers' new sentence and what it means for their potential for freedom. Lyle and Erik were first tried in 1993, where prosecutors claimed that they murdered their parents to inherit their $14 million fortune. The brothers testified that they killed them out of fear that José, who they alleged had sexually abused them for years, and Kitty, who enabled the molestation, were planning to kill them first. After the first trial ended in a deadlock, Lyle and Erik were tried again in 1996 and found guilty of first-degree murder in their parents' deaths. They were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Though Lyle and Erik have appealed their convictions multiple times, they've always been denied. It wasn't until their lawyers filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in May 2023 — citing new evidence alleged in the docuseries Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed — that they had a real shot at freedom. In the 2023 Peacock series, former 1980s boy band Menudo member Roy Rosselló claimed that he was drugged and raped by José, who was the head of RCA Records at the time of his murder. The writ also included a letter Erik allegedly had written to a cousin months before the 1989 shooting that detailed his father's alleged abuse. Over a year after the petition was filed, then-Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón made his formal recommendation that the Menendez brothers be resentenced as they qualified as 'youthful offenders' during the murders. When Gascón lost his reelection, the new DA, Nathan Hochman, tried to withdraw Lyle and Erik's resentencing. But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic denied the request. On May 13, Judge Jesic ruled to resentence Lyle and Erik to 50 years to life in prison. This new sentence means that for the first time, they're eligible for parole and could potentially go free. The judge acknowledged the 'absolutely horrific crime' the brothers committed, but said that he was moved by how they've spent their lives behind bars. "Life without parole gives an inmate no hope, no reason to do anything good,' the judge told reporters. 'And I give them a lot of credit. It's remarkable what they did when they had no hope of getting out." The Menendez brothers have spent 35 years in jail after their arrest in 1990. While imprisoned, Lyle spoke to a crowd over the phone at Nashville's CrimeCon in June 2024, sharing that he got his bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of California, Irvine. At the time, he said he was also considering getting a master's degree in urban planning to help with the work he's been doing to redesign the prison yard. 'I just decided even though I'm incarcerated and there isn't hope of freedom, I still have a chance to be a productive person and sort of feel like I'm proud of what I'm doing with my day,' Lyle said. 'Education seemed like an obvious answer to that question.' Erik reportedly spends his time meditating and is focused on his spirituality. With the 2025 resentencing, Erik and Lyle became immediately eligible for parole — but that doesn't mean they'll be walking free anytime soon. The California Board of Parole Hearings must determine if the Menendez brothers are suitable for release, per NPR. Even if they approve parole, the governor can still review and veto the decision, a process that can take up to 150 days. Newsom said in February that he had asked the parole board to investigate if the brothers posed an 'unreasonable' risk to public safety, per NBC. Erik and Lyle had already had a board hearing set for June 13, 2025, for a separate clemency petition. It's unclear if that meeting will also serve as their first parole hearing. The day following the resentencing, lawyers told PEOPLE that it could still take some time for Lyle and Erik to be released. 'I think it's a matter of months,' former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told PEOPLE. 'I think the Menendez brothers will be out as early as the summer, if not fall, and have some sort of reality TV show in 2026. It's going be surreal, but they're going to be free.' According to Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Shaheen Manshoory, the parole board has to be scheduled within '180 days from the date of resentencing.' After that, Newsom has 120 days to either to approve the pardon, modify it or deny it. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Menendez brothers are eligible for parole. What we know about the highly publicized case
A Los Angeles judge resentenced the Menendez brothers, making them eligible for parole after serving prison time for the shotgun murders of their parents at their Beverly Hills, California, home in 1989. Lyle Menendez, 57, and Erik Menendez, 54, were originally sentenced to life without parole in 1996. The brothers admitted to the killings but insisted they did so out of fear that their parents were about to kill them following years of abuse. The ruling from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic on May 13 came after a day-long re-sentencing hearing in which relatives, a retired judge, and a former fellow inmate testified in support of the brothers. Jesic reduced the brothers' sentences to 50 years to life, a prison term that will make them eligible for parole under California law. The case gained renewed attention and support after the popular Netflix show, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," and the documentary "The Menendez Brothers." The brothers will remain incarcerated while the state parole board and California Gov. Gavin Newsom decide whether to release them from prison. Here's what we know about the highly publicized case: The shotgun killings of Jose and Kitty Menendez and the subsequent trials captured the public's attention. In August 1989, police discovered the wealthy parents dead in their Beverly Hills mansion. Both Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot multiple times at close range. At the time of the murders, Lyle Menendez was 21 and Erik Menendez was 18. The brothers initially denied involvement and tried to make the incident look like an organized crime hit. They later admitted to the killings but claimed it was self-defense and that they acted out of fear due to years of physical and sexual abuse by their father, an entertainment industry executive, and their mother. After a first trial ended in a hung jury in 1994, the brothers were found guilty by a second jury in 1996 of first-degree murder for fatally shooting their parents. At the time, prosecutors had argued that the brothers were seeking their parents' multi-million-dollar fortune and highlighted their lavish spending spree shortly after the murders. The brothers' case gained momentum in October 2024 when former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced his support for their resentencing so they would be immediately eligible for parole. The announcement came amid the rising popularity of the streaming show and documentary about the brothers. In May 2023, the brothers' attorney submitted new evidence, which included a letter allegedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, alluding to abuse by his father, and an affidavit from former boy band member Roy Rossello claiming Jose Menendez sexually abused him in the 1980s. Rossello, who was a member of the 1980s Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, also alleged in Peacock's 2023 docuseries, 'Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed," that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him when he was a teenager. Before he was voted out of office, Gascón said the evidence would be reviewed and considered in his recommendation that the brothers be resentenced. The case faced a setback after Nathan J. Hochman was elected as the new Los Angeles County District Attorney in December, who expressed that he did not support the brothers' resentencing. Menendez brothers case: Menendez brothers eligible for parole in 1989 murders of parents, paving way for possible release Several members of the Menendez family supported the brothers' release. The brothers' cousin Anamaria Baralt, 54, a leading advocate for their release, said the two "are universally forgiven" by everyone on both sides of their family. "They are different men from the boys that they were when they committed these crimes," Baralt testified at the hearing. Baralt previously told USA TODAY that the two deserve to be freed because they have not only expressed remorse for the killings, but also grown substantially as people during their imprisonment. "We love them so much we miss them," Baralt said. "There is not a family holiday that there is not just a hole in our hearts and a void in our family." Prosecutor Habib Balian said the brothers were "not trustworthy" and he did not believe they had found redemption. "We know ... what they are capable of doing," he added. Now that the judge has lowered the brothers' sentences, the siblings will go before the state's parole board, which will recommend whether they are suitable for release. If the parole board signs off on their resentencing, it will be up to Newsom to accept or reject the recommendation. On his podcast "This is Gavin Newsom," the governor indicated that he is open to reevaluating the case. Newsom also said he has avoided watching the show or documentary about the case. "I'm obviously familiar with the Menendez brothers, just through the news over the course of many decades," Newsom said on his podcast. "But not to the degree that many others are because of all of these documentaries and all of the attention they've received. So that won't bias my independent and objective review." Contributing: Christopher Cann, Michael Loria, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, and Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Menendez brothers are eligible for parole. Here is what to expect next
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
From the 1989 killings to a stunning resentencing: A timeline of the Menedez brothers' murder case
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been resentenced to 50 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the 1989 murder of their parents. The ruling means the brothers could one day walk free from prison – nearly three decades after they were sentenced to life without parole for the killings of Jose and Kitty Menendez at their Beverly Hills home Erik and Lyle have admitted to the murders but argued the killings were self-defense after enduring years of their father's abuse. Their defense has been supported by several family members who've taken the stand to plead for their release. Now, the California state parole board must decide whether to grant the brothers' parole. A hearing is scheduled for June 13 as part of a separate bid for freedom by the brothers. Here's a look at a timeline of the decades-long case. August 1989: Jose Menendez, an executive at RCA Records, and his wife Kitty Menendez, are shot and killed by shotgun blasts in their Beverly Hills mansion. Lyle calls 911 and says, 'Someone killed my parents.' March 1990: Lyle is arrested by police and Erik turns himself in days later after they confess to their therapist. They are accused of first-degree murder. July 1993: The Menendez brothers go on trial in a Los Angeles courtroom, each with a separate jury, in a trial televised on Court TV. Prosecutors argue they killed their parents for financial gain. The brothers' defenses admit they killed their parents but argue they acted out of self-defense after years of emotional, psychological and sexual abuse by their father. January 1994: Both juries deadlock and cannot come to a verdict. October 1995: A retrial of the brothers begins, with one jury. This time around, much of the defense evidence about sexual abuse is excluded, according to defense attorneys. March 1996: The jury convicts both brothers of first-degree murder. July 1996: The brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. May 2023: In the Peacock docuseries 'Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,' a former member of the boy band Menudo says in an affidavit that he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was about 14. Attorneys for the Menendez brothers file a habeas petition asking the court to reconsider the conviction and sentence in light of new evidence from the Menudo band member and from a letter Erik wrote about the abuse prior to the killings. The attorneys ask the court to either vacate the brothers' conviction and sentence or permit discovery and an evidentiary hearing in which they can provide proof, the document says. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office says it is reviewing the petition. September 2024: Netflix releases the crime drama 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,' a nine-episode series co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan about the killings. '(The show) is really more interested in talking about how monsters are made as opposed to born,' Murphy says during a panel discussion at an early screening of the show's first episode, according to Netflix. 'We try to not have too much judgment about that because we're trying to understand why they did something, as opposed to the act of doing something.' In a statement shared on social media by his wife, Erik Menendez accuses the show of portraying 'horrible and blatant lies' and of returning to 'an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women.' October 5, 2024: LA County District Attorney George Gascón tells CNN he 'increasingly became concerned that it was critical that we reviewed the new evidence' put forth by the defense. He notes that times have changed regarding how the public and the courts treat victims of sexual abuse. 'There is no question that our sensitivity to sexual assault is much more significant today,' he says. '(It) has been clearly established that both men and women can be sexually assaulted, or boys and girls. I think 35 years ago cultural norms were a little different. … There is no question that a jury today would look at this case probably very differently than a jury did 35 years ago.' He also notes that the shows and films about the case have had an impact. 'But for the documentary, quite frankly, we probably would not be talking at this point,' he said. 'We may be talking later, but that certainly has increased the attention by the public, and that's why we're being public about where we are.' October 16, 2024: More than two dozen relatives of the Menendez brothers announce a coalition urging authorities to review the case and to either throw out their convictions and hold a new trial or resentence them in light of evidence suggesting the brothers were victims of their father's abuse. October 24, 2024: Gascón recommends that a judge resentence the brothers, leaving the next step of the decision process to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. November 18, 2024: California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will delay his decision on clemency for Lyle and Erik Menendez until the newly elected Los Angeles County district attorney completes his review of the case. 'The governor respects the role of the district attorney in ensuring justice is served and recognizes that voters have entrusted District Attorney-elect (Nathan) Hochman to carry out this responsibility,' Newsom's office says. 'The governor will defer to the DA-elect's review and analysis of the Menendez case prior to making any clemency decisions.' March 10, 2025: Newly elected LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman asks the court to withdraw a resentencing motion filed last year by his predecessor, who advocated for the brothers to receive a sentence that would make them eligible for parole. The move comes a month after Hochman said he opposed the brothers' request for a new trial. Hochman calls the self-defense claim 'fabricated' and says the brothers had displayed 'lack of acceptance of responsibility for their murderous actions.' He urges the court to consider what he says was a string of lies told during the trial and maintained over their three decades behind bars. April 11, 2025: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic rules that Erik and Lyle Menendez's resentencing hearings can continue despite opposition from Hochman, saying he has full authority to proceed with resentencing under a California law passed in 2023 that allows a court to recall a sentence and initiate resentencing at any point in time. May 13, 2025: Jesic resentences Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life in prison –– making them immediately eligible for parole. During the hearing Jesic says he is not suggesting they should be released, but 'one day they should get that chance.' 'It's now up to the parole board and the governor of California,' Jesic says. CNN has reached out to the governor's office and the state parole board for comment on the ruling. The parole board could either deny their request or recommend to the governor that they be granted parole. If the board recommends parole be granted, the decision will go to Newsom.
Time Magazine
14-05-2025
- Time Magazine
Resentencing Brings Menendez Brothers One Step Closer to Freedom
After more than three decades behind bars, the Menendez brothers are a step closer to being free. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced Erik and Lyle Menendez's sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. The Tuesday ruling makes the pair, who have been detained since March 1990 and were originally sentenced in July 1996 at ages 25 and 28 respectively, eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law. 'I'm not saying they should be released, it's not for me to decide,' Jesic said. 'I do believe they've done enough in the past 35 years that they should get that chance.' It was a case that divided the public: At 18 and 21, in August 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez walked into their Beverly Hills home and fired more than a dozen shotgun rounds at their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. Their trials were widely publicized, with defense attorneys arguing that the brothers had acted out of self-defense, fearing their father would kill them for exposing his alleged sexual abuse against them, while prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their parents to inherit a $14 million estate. Ultimately, they were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Read More: Why It Took Three Juries to Convict the Menendez Brothers But the case regained publicity and continues to divide the public after it was dramatized in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story last year, which was followed by the documentary The Menendez Brothers. In recent years, more evidence has surfaced to support the brothers' allegations against their father. In 2018, journalist Robert Rand, who covered the brothers' story extensively and visited them multiple times in prison, uncovered a letter written by 17-year-old Erik Menendez to the brothers' cousin Andy Cano a year before the murders. The letter detailed the ongoing abuse of Erik by his father. Cano, who died in 2003, testified about his knowledge of the abuse but the letter was not used as evidence in the trials. 'I looked at it and I said, 'Oh, my God, this could be really important to the case,'' Rand told The Hollywood Reporter in August last year. A former member of the Latin boy band Menudo also alleged that José Menendez, who was a music executive at RCA Records, had abused him. Roy Rosselló said in the 2023 Peacock docuseries Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed that José had drugged and raped him when he was 14 years old. In May 2023, after the series' release, the brothers' attorneys submitted a writ of habeas corpus arguing that 'the new evidence not only shows that José Menendez was very much a violent and brutal man who would sexually abuse children, but it strongly suggests that—in fact—he was still abusing Erik Menendez as late as December 1988. Just as the defense had argued all along.' The habeas corpus petition has stalled since then, but current Los Angeles County district attorney Nathan Hochman said in February that he was opposed to a new trial. The brothers also submitted a clemency petition to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, which will be heard by the parole board in June. Last fall then-Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón asked the court to resentence the brothers, and the court separately initiated a resentencing petition. Last month, Hochman's office requested that Gascon's motion be withdrawn, which was rejected by Judge Jesic. Hochman and his team have argued that, by never renouncing their claim of 'imperfect self-defense,' the brothers have failed to demonstrate full remorse or accountability for their crimes. At the resentencing hearing on Tuesday, the brothers appeared via a video livestream. Addressing the court before the judge's decision, they apologized for the murders and said they hoped to work with sex abuse victims if they were to be released. 'I had to stop being selfish and immature to really understand what my parents went through in those last moments,' Erik, now 54, said, recalling the 'shock, confusion and betrayal' they must have felt. Addressing his family, he said: 'You did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better.' Lyle, now 57, also apologized to his family: 'I lied to you and forced you into a spotlight of public humiliation,' he said. 'I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification. … Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was.' Some family members have called for the brothers' release, including launching a coalition ' Justice for Erik and Lyle ' in October last year. Earlier this year, two dozen family members signed onto a letter to the court asking for the brothers to be resentenced. Others in the family, however, like Kitty's brother Milton Andersen, opposed the brothers' release up until his death in March this year. 'We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,' Anamaria Baralt, one of the brothers' three cousins, said at the resentencing hearing, asking the judge for their immediate release. 'They are universally forgiven by our family.' Baralt said the family has endured a series of traumas, including 'a relentless examination of our family in the public eye.' The resentencing hearing focused on the brothers' rehabilitation. The judge gave the brothers 'a lot of credit for changing their lives,' pointing to a letter submitted by a prison official in support of the resentencing—which the official had never done in 25 years. The brothers' defense attorney, Mark Geragos, who had asked that his clients' charges be reduced to manslaughter, which would have meant their immediate release, told reporters after the hearing that Judge Jesic 'did what justice said should happen.' 'We have evolved, this is not the '90s anymore,' Geragos said. Because the brothers committed their crime under the age of 26, they are now immediately eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law. They must demonstrate to the state parole board that they have been rehabilitated in prison at a parole hearing. While incarcerated, the brothers have gotten an education, worked on prison reform, painted a mural, gotten married, and started several support groups for other inmates, including those who experienced childhood sexual abuse. One former inmate, Anerae Brown, called the programs 'Menendez University' in his testimony at the hearing. 'They are very different men from the boys they were,' Baralt said at the hearing. She told reporters that the parole hearing next will be a 'difficult process' but said the family will 'eagerly step through those doors if that means getting them home.'
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.
