U.S. authorities will review new evidence in the case of convicted murderers, the Menendez brothers. Lyle and Erik Menendez were handed life sentences in 1996 after they were found guilty of murdering their parents.
On Thursday, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced they will consider new evidence filed by the Menendez brothers’ lawyers.
A new drama series based on the brothers is currently Netflix’s most-watched program, globally. A hearing has been scheduled for 29 November.
The case
Lyle and Erik Menendez lived with their parents in Beverly Hills, California.
On 20 August 1989, police received a call from Lyle, who said he and his brother had found their parents dead in the living room.
The brothers told police they had been at a movie theatre before they came home and discovered their parents.
At the time, Erik was an 18-year-old nationally-ranked tennis player. Lyle, 21, was studying at Princeton University.
Initially, the pair suggested the mafia might be behind the murder of their parents, Jose Menendez and Mary Louise Anderson (also called ‘Kitty’) .
Authorities became suspicious of the brothers when they began spending large amounts of money following the death of their parents. The pair were arrested in March 1990 and faced trial in 1993.
1993 Trial
The brothers eventually confessed to firing multiple shots at close range, in what they argued was an act of self-defence.
Both Lyle and Erik testified in court that they had endured years of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse from their father. They claimed their mother knew about the abuse, but ignored it.
The prosecution argued the brothers killed their parents out of greed, hoping to inherit a $US14 million family fortune.
Verdict
Each brother was assigned a separate jury, but neither could reach a consensus. The hung juries resulted in a mistrial.
A retrial was launched in 1995 and each brother was found guilty of murder in 1996.
They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
New evicence
On Thursday, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said it would review possible new evidence in the case.
The review will centre around a letter written by Erik, which his lawyers say corroborates allegations of sexual abuse by his father.
During the Menendez murder trial in the 1990s, the brothers’ self-defence argument was largely dismissed.
Prosecutors claimed there was no credible evidence that Jose Menendez had sexually abused his children.
This week, District Attorney George Gascón conceded the alleged abuse would have been treated with “greater” sensitivity by prosecutors and the court, had the case been presented today.
This investigation could see the brothers – now aged 53 (Erik) and 56 (Lyle) – released or handed a reduced sentence.
Gascón said his office was evaluating “all” of the evidence ahead of a hearing next month.
“We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing information,” he said.
Netflix Series
The case has gained renewed interest following the release of ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ on Netflix.
The series, which has been viewed 19.5 million times this week, has been heavily criticised by the Menendez brothers.
A statement from Erik said the show was “rampant” with “blatant lies” and included “vile and appalling character portrayals” of the pair.
Co-creator, Ryan Murphy, defended the show and accused the brothers of “faux outrage”.
“I know for a fact that many people have offered to help them because of the interest” in the series, Murphy told the Hollywood Reporter.
“We had an obligation to so many people, not just to Erik and Lyle… I also think that two things can be true…they could have killed their parents and also had been abused,” he said.
NBC news published an essay by Kim Kardashian, who has advocated for the brothers’ release.
“They are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent and honest men… my hope is that Erik and Lyle Menendez’s life sentences are reconsidered”.
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