Latest news with #MenendezBrothers
National Post
3 days ago
- National Post
Menendez brothers seen on old NBA card that's now collector's item
An old NBA basketball card is becoming a big hit with collectors thanks to a pair of courtside spectators featured on it. Article content Article content Erik and Lyle Menendez, the infamous brothers convicted in the grisly double murder of their parents in the 1990s, are seen on a 1990 Hoops card of one-time Raptor Mark Jackson, then of the New York Knicks. Article content According to a TMZ report, some people are sending the card to the brothers in prison so it can be autographed. eBay even removed some cards that listed them as the reason for the value of the card, citing polices against items associated with violent crimes, according to FOX News. Article content Article content Article content The Menendez brothers bought courtside seats often for the Knicks during the 1989-90 NBA season as part of their spending spree after the August 1989 murders of their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez. Article content
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Trading card featuring Menendez brothers after parents' murder becomes collector's item
A 1990 trading card of Erik and Lyle Menendez skyrocketed in value following the infamous brothers' 1996 conviction in their parents' Beverly Hills, California, double murder. The trading card featuring New York Knicks guard Mark Jackson, obtained by Fox News Digital, gained notoriety after eagle-eyed collectors noticed that the Menendez brothers were sitting in a pair of floor seats at the game. The discovery of their presence on the card sparked significant interest among collectors and true crime aficionados. Previously valued at mere cents, the card's price surged, with some listings reaching hundreds of dollars. However, eBay eventually removed listings that explicitly referenced the Menendez brothers, citing policies against items associated with violent crimes. According to a TMZ report, some collectors are sending the card to the brothers in prison so it can be autographed. Along with purchasing courtside seats for a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden during the 1989–1990 NBA season, the brothers lavishly spent their parents' fortune following the August 1989 murders of Kitty and José Menendez. In the months following the brutal murder of their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez began living an extravagant lifestyle that starkly contrasted with their earlier claims of grief and trauma. While the defense would later frame the spending as part of a psychological escape from years of alleged abuse, prosecutors alleged that the brothers' crimes had been due to their efforts to gain access to the family's fortune. Lyle, the older brother, indulged in high-end purchases, including designer clothing and a Porsche. He also invested heavily in a Princeton, New Jersey, restaurant called Chuck's Spring Street Café. In their 1995 trial, jewelry sales representative Mary Ellen Mahar testified that the brothers had come to her store just four days after the killings and spent about $15,000 on three Rolex watches. Lyle rented upscale properties and lived in expensive hotels like the Beverly Hills Hotel. Erik, too, spent the family's money freely on luxury clothing, high-end accommodations and international trips. He also tried to become a professional tennis player following the 1989 slayings. He hired a private coach, took lessons and traveled internationally to train and compete. On March 8, 1990, when Lyle was arrested in connection with their parents' murders, Erik was competing in a tennis tournament in Israel. He later turned himself in. Both brothers admitted to killing their parents in a gruesome 1989 shotgun massacre inside their Beverly Hills home. Since their resentencing last week, the brothers are now eligible for parole. The brothers are set to appear before the parole board via video on June 13, 2025, at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. The board will either recommend or veto the brothers' release. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has the final say over whether they should go free.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Menendez brothers suffer crushing blow after parole hearing is delayed
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been dealt a crushing blow just a week after becoming eligible for parole. The brothers were due to face a parole board on June 13, but that hearing has now been pushed back by more than two months to take place on August 21 and 22. The latest setback delays any possibility of freedom by at least nine weeks, after already spending 35 years behind bars for murdering both of their parents. The brothers appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court last Tuesday, where Judge Michael Jesic reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. The change means they're eligible to apply for parole under California's youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. But the June 13 date was already scheduled as a separate pathway to freedom. Governor Gavin Newsom was due to reveal whether he would consider clemency for the brothers. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not give a reason for delaying the hearing. Newsom has the authority to grant immediate clemency to the brothers at any time, but securing parole could be a months or years-long process. The brothers were ordered in 1996 to spend the rest of their lives in prison for fatally shooting their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings. Defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance. 'I'm not saying they should be released, it's not for me to decide,' Judge Jesic said. 'I do believe they've done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get that chance.' The brothers are broadly supported by their relatives, many of whom testified on their behalf during court proceedings. One said the duo had been 'universally forgiven by the family' for their actions. 'Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was,' Lyle told the court. 'I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification. The impact of my violent actions on my family... is unfathomable.' The defense began by calling Ana Maria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, who testified that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions. 'We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,' Baralt said. 'They are universally forgiven by our family.' Diane Hernandez, who also testified during Erik and Lyle's first trial, spoke about the abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called 'hallway rule'. 'When Jose was with one of the boys … you couldn't even go up the stairs to be on the same floor,' Hernandez said of the father. The previous LA County District Attorney George Gascon had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. Gascon's office said the case would've been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers' rehabilitation over three decades in prison. A resentencing petition laid out by Gascon focuses on the brothers' accomplishments and rehabilitation. Since their conviction, the brothers have received an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates. But current district attorney Nathan Hochman said he believes the brothers are not ready for resentencing because 'they have not come clean' about their crimes. His office also has said it does not believe they were sexually abused. 'Our position is not "no," it's not "never," it's "not yet,"' Hochman said. 'They have not fully accepted responsibility for all their criminal conduct.' On August 20, 1989, armed with two shotguns, the brothers shot both parents to death as they watched a movie at their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers insisted they acted against a father who sexually abused them for years and a mother who turned a blind eye to the abuse. The first trial ended with a hung jury. But at a second trial in 1996 - where the judge refused to allow any evidence about the brothers being molested by their father - they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Menendez brothers suffer crushing blow after murder sentences were reduced leading to hopes of parole
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been dealt a crushing blow just a week after becoming eligible for parole. The brothers were due to face a parole board on June 13, but that hearing has now been pushed back by more than two months to take place on August 21 and 22. The latest setback delays any possibility of freedom by at least nine weeks, after already spending 35 years behind bars for after murdering both of their parents. The brothers appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court last Tuesday, where Judge Michael Jesic reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. The change means they're eligible to apply for parole under California 's youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. But the June 13 date was already scheduled as a separate pathway to freedom. Governor Gavin Newsom was due to reveal whether he would consider clemency for the brothers. The brothers were ordered in 1996 to spend the rest of their lives in prison f or fatally shooting their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings. Defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance. The state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison. '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.' The brothers are broadly supported by their relatives, many of whom testified on their behalf on Tuesday. One said the duo had been 'universally forgiven by the family' for their actions. 'Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was,' Lyle told the court. 'I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification. The impact of my violent actions on my family... is unfathomable.' The defense began by calling Ana Maria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, who testified that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions. 'We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,' Baralt said. 'They are universally forgiven by our family.' Another cousin, Tamara Goodell, said she had recently taken her 13-year-old son to meet the brothers in prison, and that they would contribute a lot of good to the world if released. Hernandez, who also testified during Erik and Lyle's first trial, spoke about the abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called 'hallway rule.' 'When Jose was with one of the boys … you couldn't even go up the stairs to be on the same floor,' Hernandez said of the father. The previous LA County District Attorney George Gascón had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers last fall by asking a judge to reduce their sentences. The brothers appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, where Judge Michael Jesic reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life Gascón's office said the case would've been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers' rehabilitation over three decades in prison. A resentencing petition laid out by Gascón focuses on the brothers' accomplishments and rehabilitation. Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates. But current district attorney Nathan Hochman said Tuesday that he believes the brothers are not ready for resentencing because 'they have not come clean' about their crimes. His office also has said it does not believe they were sexually abused. 'Our position is not "no," it's not "never," it's "not yet,"' Hochman said. 'They have not fully accepted responsibility for all their criminal conduct.' On August 20, 1989, armed with two shotguns, the brothers shot both parents to death as they watched a movie at their Beverly Hills mansion. Their trial prompted worldwide headlines. Prosecutors said their motive was greed, as they stood to inherit $14 million from their parents. The brothers insisted they acted against a father who sexually abused them for years and a mother who turned a blind eye to the abuse. The first trial ended with a hung jury. But at a second trial in 1996 - where the judge refused to allow any evidence about the brothers being molested by their father - they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. New interest in the case was sparked by the recent Netflix drama, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the true crime documentary The Menendez Brothers. Both films explain how the brothers claimed to police that they returned home from the theater to find their parents had been slaughtered. At first it was feared that a vicious killer was on the loose in Beverly Hills, one of America's wealthiest communities. But cops switched their suspicions to Lyle and Erik after they set about spending their inheritance soon after their parents' deaths. Lyle bought a Porsche Carrera, Rolex watch and two restaurants, while his brother hired a full-time tennis coach to begin competing in tournaments. In all, they spent $700,000 between the time of their parents' deaths and their arrests in March 1990, seven months after the murders. Erik - who said his father abused him from the age of six to 12 - insisted in the new documentary that it's 'absurd' to suggest he was having a good time in the immediate aftermath of the murders. 'Everything was to cover up this horrible pain of not wanting to be alive,' he said. 'One of the things that stopped me from killing myself was that I would be a complete failure to my dad.'
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Parole hearing for Menendez brothers delayed until August
LOS ANGELES — Erik and Lyle Menendez's hearing in front of the California state parole board has been pushed back to August, their attorneys said Tuesday. The delay comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew his request for the parole board to evaluate the brothers for clemency as they seek their freedom after 35 years behind bars for killing their parents.
