Latest news with #MenendezBrothers'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Menendez Brothers Have Murder Sentence Reduced & Are Now Eligible For Parole
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who have served roughly 35 years of a life-without-parole prison sentence for the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents in Beverly Hills, were re-sentenced today to 50 years to life, immediately making them eligible for parole. The decision by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic does not automatically mean the pair will be released from prison. They will have to appear before a parole board, which will recommend whether they should be available for parole. The recommendation would then go to Gov. Gavin Newsom,who could reject their release. More from Deadline Menendez Brothers' Attorney Seeks Lesser Voluntary Manslaughter Sentence As Hearing Begins Menendez Brothers Suddenly Withdraw Move To Toss L.A. DA Off Case; Resentencing Hearings Set For Next Week Menendez Brothers Resentencing: L.A. DA & Family's Lawyer Butt Heads Over Recusal Move & Media Hits A Week Ahead Of Pivotal Hearing Earlier today, relatives of the Menendez brothers testified on why they believed they should be released from prison, with their attorney Mark Geragos fighting for a reduced sentence of voluntary manslaughter. 'What we are pushing for, under the statute, is a recall of the sentence, a resentence that is meaningful modification,' he said. The Menendez brothers' case resurfaced following the release of the Netflix series created by Ryan Murphy, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Kim Kardashian, who has a working relationship with Murphy, was one of several high-profile personalities who made a call to have their life sentences reduced. After spending time with the brothers, the reality TV personality and criminal justice advocate penned an essay for NBC News where she made the case for them. 'We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I'm not!' Kardashian writes in a personal essay. She continued, 'You think you know the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. I certainly thought I did: In 1989, the brothers, aged 21 and 18, respectively, viciously shot and killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home. In 1996, after two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As is often the case, this story is much more complex than it appears on the surface. Both brothers said they had been sexually, physically and emotionally abused for years by their parents.' Kardashian noted that after the first trial was televised, the Menendez brothers were 'ridiculed in skits on Saturday Night Live' and 'the media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized eye candy,' which made them have 'no chance of a fair trial.' CNS contributed to this report. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean Combs Loses Bid to Delay Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Trial
A federal judge has denied Sean Combs' request for a two-month delay of his upcoming criminal trial on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. At a Friday morning hearing in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said the trial will proceed as planned on May 5, according to Inner City Press. Combs, 55, asked for the delay earlier this month, saying he needed more time to prepare after prosecutors filed a third superseding indictment with a new sex trafficking count for Victim 2. Prosecutors opposed the delay, arguing in court filings that the new charge was hardly 'substantially new conduct,' considering prosecutors quoted from Victim 2's messages to Combs back during his initial bail arguments last Fall. They said the messages implicated Combs in her alleged trafficking. More from Rolling Stone Menendez Brothers' Lawyer Wants DA 'Thrown Off' Case, Resentencing Hearing Delayed Drake Claims NFL Censoring 'Not Like Us' During Super Bowl Backs His Defamation Claim Sean Combs Adds Young Thug's Lawyer to Trial Team 'The government has consistently described Victim-2 as a victim of sex trafficking,' prosecutors argued in a letter to the court on Wednesday. They said the first superseding indictment, returned by the grand jury on January 30, 2025, also 'explicitly alleged' sex trafficking of Victim-2 as racketeering activity. At least three victims in the case also opposed a trial delay, prosecutors said. 'These victims have a statutory right under the Crime Victims' Rights Act to proceedings free from reasonable delay and to be treated with fairness and with respect,' prosecutors wrote. 'The defendant's adjournment request violates these rights.' Combs was arrested last September and immediately pleaded not guilty to allegations he trafficked multiple women under a 'criminal enterprise' that used violence, threats, and manipulation to fulfill his 'sexual gratification.' The Bad Boy Records founder has been in custody ever since and repeatedly denied bail. The initial indictment largely mirrored the bombshell rape and trafficking lawsuit filed by Combs' ex-girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura in November 2023. Prosecutors didn't identify Ventura by name, but her lawyers attended his first court appearance, and she's widely known to be Victim 1. Prosecutors recently said Victim 1 was willing to proceed with her full name at trial. Victim 2 asked to proceed anonymously, prosecutors said. According to court filings, Combs reached out to the woman shortly after Ventura filed her lawsuit. The woman had contacted him to say reading Ventura's complaint was like 'reading her own sexual trauma,' according to prosecutors. 'It makes me sick how three solid pages, word for word, is exactly my experiences and my anguish,' the woman allegedly texted Combs. In another message to an unidentified person, the woman purportedly said Combs 'threatened me about my sex tapes that he has of me on two phones. He said he would expose me. Mind you, these [are] sex tapes where I am heavily drugged and doing things he asked of me for the past three years.' Earlier this week, Combs added Young Thug's high-powered defense lawyer, Brian Steel, to his trial team. In denying Combs' request to delay his trial, Judge Subramanian reportedly cited the fact that Combs now has four law firms representing him, according to Inner City Press. Steel represented Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, during the rapper's nearly two-year trial related to his YSL gang and racketeering case in Atlanta. Steel famously took a contempt charge from the original judge on that trial and was subjected to a dramatic, on-camera arrest when he refused to disclose how he'd heard about a controversial conversation between the judge, prosecutors, and a key witness. The contempt charge was ultimately dropped, and that original judge was removed from the case. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Menendez Brothers Resentencing Now Off Until Next Month As Lawyers & Judge Look Over Parole Board Report Ordered By Gavin Newsom
BREAKING … The Menendez brothers will still get their day in court, but the long incarcerated siblings will have to wait until next month to see if they will be resentenced or not for the 1989 shotgun murder of their parents. With the brothers joining via video, Judge Michael Jesic initially decided this morning to go forward with the two-day scheduled resentencing session this morning and cast aside an 11th hour motion of continuance from the LA County District Attorney's office over a state parole board risk assessment report ordered earlier this year by Gov. Gavin Newsom. However, after some fireworks between Nathan Hochman's office and defense attorneys in and outside the Van Nuys courthouse, the LA Superior Court judge has pushed back any resentencing hearing until at least May 9. More from Deadline Judge Denies L.A. DA Motion To Delay Menendez Brothers' Resentencing Hearing; Defense Lawyer Accuses Prosecution Of Playing Politics With Case L.A. DA Wants Menendez Brothers' Resentencing Delayed Again Now That Gavin Newsom Has Pivotal Parole Board Report "A Grotesque Spectacle": Menendez Brothers' Family Takes L.A. DA To Court Over Bloody Crime Scene Photos Shown At Resentencing Hearing, Allege Violation Of Victims Rights Law With all sides getting an opportunity to look over the semi-completed report and contemplate its admissibility, that hearing next month could be closed and take place in the judge's chambers due to sensitive material in that risk assessment report. In fact, the May 9 hearing could be consumed with motions from both sides and never even get around to resentencing, Also, the confidential and unfinished risk assessment report is but one of many aspects of what the parole board uses to assess keeping the siblings in or out of prison. Back in the media and public spotlight in no small part due to the success of the Netflix and Ryan Murphy series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story series and some documentaries claiming new evidence, the Menendez brothers now insist the shooting of José Menendez and Kitty Menendez was self-defense against the ongoing sexual abuse by their record company executive father. Prosecutors for the DA's office and the defense's Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman were still conferring with Judge Jesic for a few minutes after the decision to delay until May was made, but it was clear to all that this was over for now. Originally, even though Judge Jesic said he would not have a decision this week, the resentencing was supposed to run today and April delayed several times before because of elections, wildfires and more, those dates have just been scrubbed from the court calendar. None of which pleases the defense and the Menendez family, many of whom traveled far and wide to be at this week's hearings. 'It's become a mockery,' Freedman said of Hochman and his office outside the courtroom after the pause was put in place. 'Does he have a personal grudge against Lyle and Erik?' the attorney added, noting the defense will be filing paperwork to have the DA's office recused from the case. In court today, Geragos said he had 'lost faith' in Hochman to conduct himself fairly. After the break, Judge Jesic told the lawyers, Menendez family members that there could be material in the risk assessment report that may constitute evidence and alter any questioning of witnesses. Even with unresolved issues of the DA's office being accused of being abusive to the family and violating their rights as victims by unexpectedly showing 1989 crime scene photos in court last week, Jude Jesic made it apparent it is to ensure the report is treated with the utmost care that he kicked everything down the road. This new delay in the much delayed resentencing comes after a two-hour break that ended at 1:30 pm PT as prosecutors, the defense and Judge Jesic bartered and petitioned the governor's office for the full report and waiving of privilege to see it. Weighing a potential clemency for the 1996 life without parole sentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez, Newsom in late February ordered the assessment as part of an overall reexamination of the case and the siblings' rehabilitation. That reexamination will culminate in individual hearings for each brother before the parole board on June 13. The day is important because that is why the report was shared with Deputy DA Habib Balian, who is overseeing the resentencing and the parole aspects of the case for Hochman. Under California regulations, a portion of the risk assessment report, which is subject to correction and updating. is to be handed over to the principal parties for their review 60 days before any clemency hearing, and is subject to correction — that is why Balian got it earlier this week. Out of that June hearing, and the political winds of the Golden State, Newsom would make his decision to grant clemency or not. Elected in a landslide last year against George Gascón, who started the resentencing process the current DA is seeking to blunt, Hochman today reiterated his contention that the brothers have after all these decades not 'come clean with ..information' on 'why they brutally killed their parents.' 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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Menendez brothers' family accuses DA of violating victim protection law after showing graphic photo in court
Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez have filed a complaint against the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, claiming it violated a victim's protection rights law after showing graphic crime scene images in court. The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative advocating for the release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, announced that it has filed a formal complaint, accusing District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office of violating Marsy's Law, which provides rights to crime victims. The family said the filing follows the DA's "unexpected and graphic display" of crime-scene photographs at an April 11 court hearing that led to the brothers' aunt, Terry Baralt, being hospitalized. "We never imagined we would have to fight to be treated with respect and dignity. But last Friday, our entire family was once again blindsided," the family wrote in a statement. The brothers have resentencing hearings scheduled for April 17 and 18 in the killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, whom they gunned down in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Menendez Brothers' Aunt Hospitalized After Da Shares Graphic Photos In Court: 'There Was No Warning' Read On The Fox News App The family's motion alleges that the district attorney's actions were "gratuitous and needlessly displayed" and served no legitimate purpose other than to "inflame emotions to achieve maximum 'shock' value." "Without warning, the District Attorney's Office displayed gruesome, graphic photos of our loved ones' bodies. No heads-up, no compassion, no humanity. Our entire family was re-traumatized first by the graphic display and again, when Terry was hospitalized shortly after." The motion also accused the district attorney's office of treating family members as "second-class victims" due to a policy disagreement between Hochman and the family. Menendez Brothers Resentencing Ignores Brutality Of Kitty's Execution, Lawyer Says: 'It Looked Like A Mob Hit' Read the complaint: In a previous statement shared with Fox News Digital, Hochman's office said prosecutors did not intend to "cause distress or pain" to those in attendance at the hearing. "To the extent that the photographic depiction of this conduct upset any of the Menendez family members present in court, we apologize for not giving prior warning that the conduct would be described in detail not only in words but also through a crime scene photo," Hochman's office wrote. Hochman's office also explained that the Menendez brothers' decision to file a habeas petition in 2023 and a request for clemency and resentencing in 2024 was "certainly going to trigger emotions for all those concerned in a case after staying dormant for over 18 years." "We never intend to cause distress or pain to individuals who attend a court hearing," Hochman's office said. "We understand the nature of the evidence of these heinous double murders was deeply emotional. However, by design, these hearings are intended to be a place where the truth, no matter how painful, is brought to light. That truth starts with the abject brutality and premeditation of the murders themselves." The family added that Baralt remains in intensive care at a local hospital following the shock from Friday's hearing. Menendez Brothers Resentencing: What Happens Next? "Marsy's Law is supposed to protect victims, ALL victims. Ironically, the person responsible for ensuring our rights are protected is the DA's victim's services coordinator," the family said. "Kathy Cady is the one responsible, however given her clear conflict of interest, the DA was supposed to appoint a non-biased coordinator for our family, which has yet to happen." Cady, a longtime victims' rights lawyer and current director of victims' services, sued former LA District Attorney George Gascon multiple times for violating Marsy's Law. She also previously represented the Menendez brothers' uncle, Milton Andersen, who was the only relative who vocally opposed their release until he died last month. "It's Milton Andersen's continued belief that the claims of molestation were made up, and they were false, and he believes that the correct verdict was issued by the jury and the correct sentence was also committed," Cady previously told Fox News Digital. "Kathy Cady, one of the foremost victim advocates in California, formerly represented one of the Menendez family members," Hochman's office said in a statement Tuesday. "In January 2025, Ms. Cady returned to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as the Director of the Bureau of Victim Services. "Once District Attorney Nathan Hochman assumed office on December 3, 2024, Ms. Cady has been walled off from any participation or contact with the Menendez case – through the present. Accordingly, Ms. Cady played no role at all in any of the Menendez family's allegations." Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Andersen, through his attorney, had said he rejected the defense claims about child abuse and agreed with trial prosecutors, who showed the brothers went on a $700,000 spending spree in the wake of their parents' deaths. The Menendez brothers and their supporters have been pushing for a resentencing hearing, saying the brothers were unfairly convicted to life in prison in 1996 for murdering their two parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter Both Lyle and Erik Menendez have since come forward in documentaries and on social media claiming their father sexually abused them, offering a different narrative of the killings than the story their attorneys told in the 1990s. Hochman previously told ABC News that he would consider resentencing if both brothers "sincerely and unequivocally admit, for the first time in over 30 years, the full range of their criminal activity and all the lies that they have told about it." He said in a statement last week that the brothers "have chosen to stubbornly remain hunkered down in their over 30-year-old bunker of lies, deceit, and denials." Watch On Fox Nation: Menendez Brothers: Victims Or Villains? The district attorney wrote in his motion that he believes the Menendez brothers "have repeatedly lied about the case, their parents, and their interactions with witnesses." Their first trial ended in a mistrial, when jurors couldn't agree on their fate. After a second trial in the mid-1990s, in which some of their evidence about the alleged sexual abuse was excluded, jurors agreed with prosecutors that their motive was greed. If the judge decides to resentence the Menendez brothers, it will then be up to the state parole board to consider their release. Because they were under 26 years old at the time of the murders, under current California law, new sentences of 50 years to life would immediately make them eligible for a parole hearing. They are already scheduled to appear before the board on June 13 as part of a comprehensive risk assessment report ordered by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is considering the brothers' clemency request – a separate potential path out of prison. "We lost José and Kitty, and we live with that grief every single day. But we also now know the years of suffering and trauma that Erik and Lyle went through that none of us fully understood at the time," the family explained. "That doesn't mean that we condone their behavior, it doesn't mean that Erik and Lyle don't live with regret every single day, that they haven't apologized to all of us – having spent the last 35 years becoming better men worthy of a second chance at life. It also doesn't mean that we've stopped mourning. It means we've chosen to hold space for both loss and forgiveness. "Life is not black and white. It is messy and painful and complicated. But believing in redemption doesn't mean we've stopped being victims. It doesn't mean we should be treated with contempt."Original article source: Menendez brothers' family accuses DA of violating victim protection law after showing graphic photo in court
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Express Tribune
Wisconsin teen charged with killing mother says he was inspired by Netflix's 'Menendez Brothers' documentary
Wisconsin teen charged with killing mother says he was inspired by Netflix's 'Menendez Brothers' documentary A 15-year-old Wisconsin boy has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide after allegedly stabbing his mother to death—a crime he claims was inspired by watching The Menendez Brothers documentary on Netflix. According to court documents obtained by local news outlets, Reed R. Gelinskey was arrested on March 4 in Caledonia, a suburb of Racine. Police responded to his home at around 10:30 p.m. after a witness reported receiving a Snapchat message from Gelinskey showing a woman lying in blood. When officers arrived, Gelinskey allegedly walked outside, dropped a kitchen knife on the stoop, and told them, 'She is dead from what I did.' Police noted his clothing was stained with blood and took him into custody. Authorities say Gelinskey admitted to hitting his mother in the head twice with a dumbbell before stabbing her five times with a steak knife. He allegedly told investigators she asked him, 'Why?' before he replied, 'Pain.' The criminal complaint states that Gelinskey, who had been taking his brother's anxiety medication, came home from school that day feeling depressed. He reportedly searched for a hammer to kill his father but couldn't find one large enough. While watching The Menendez Brothers documentary, he said he formed a plan to kill both parents, specifically during the 'shotgun scene.' The Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. They claimed years of abuse led them to act in self-defense, but prosecutors argued they were motivated by financial gain. The brothers are currently seeking to overturn their life sentences, citing newly discovered evidence, including a 1988 letter from Erik Menendez describing abuse and allegations from a former Menudo band member who claims José Menendez sexually assaulted him. A judge is currently reviewing their case, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has yet to decide on potential resentencing or a retrial. Meanwhile, prosecutors described Gelinskey's crime as a 'violent, but planned offense' and charged him as an adult. His father has also requested contact with him, which a judge approved. He is currently being held in a juvenile detention center with bond set at $1 million.
