CA - Court upholds Menendez brothers' convictions

[Swirlz]

One of the attorneys' house burned down so it might be delayed again.

 

[Chimera]

I do not believe the still unproven allegations of past mistreatment should be a mitigating factor in the release of either of the Menendez men.
The murder of their own mom and dad still horrifies.
Esp. their mother.
The accusations were specifically against Jose.

Why then did they not only shoot Kitty but go back outside to reload.
The passing of time still doesn't soften this crime, imo.

Anyone who murders shouldn't be released based solely on their past abuse at the hands of parents or caretakers, or that would open the floodgates for thousands of inmates doing time for murder to be released into society.
It's surprising that there's sympathy for Eric and Lyle, even if they were abused, there are thousands if not millions who've endured vicious crimes against them, who've not murdered anyone, or even considered committing such an act !
Murder is still murder.
My opinion only.

 

[ilovewings]

I do not believe the still unproven allegations of past mistreatment should be a mitigating factor in the release of either of the Menendez men.
The murder of their own mom and dad still horrifies.
Esp. their mother.
The accusations were specifically against Jose.

Why then did they not only shoot Kitty but go back outside to reload.
The passing of time still doesn't soften this crime, imo.

Anyone who murders shouldn't be released based solely on their past abuse at the hands of parents or caretakers, or that would open the floodgates for thousands of inmates doing time for murder to be released into society.
It's surprising that there's sympathy for Eric and Lyle, even if they were abused, there are thousands if not millions who've endured vicious crimes against them, who've not murdered anyone, or even considered committing such an act !
Murder is still murder.
My opinion only.

I love your thought process, because you express my thoughts exactly. The murder of their parents, especially their mother was extremely brutal. From my perspective they need to stay where they are. At the moment they committed their horrendous crime, they were not REPEAT - NOT IN IMMINENT DANGER- that is the key issue-- they could have left the home- they had options but they chose brutal murder. Don't know if they were abused or not, but at that moment they were not being abused- they could have left the home and chosen some other way to deal with their issues.

 

[Gigiky]

I do believe that the brothers were SA by their Father, and I believe the mother turned a blind eye.
I don't condone murder. But I do believe they have served enough time. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

New D.A. Hasn't Watched Either Netflix Series on Menendez Brothers, Speaks Out on Their Trial (Exclusive)

New D.A. Hasn't Watched Either Netflix Series on Menendez Brothers, Says Erik and Lyle Received 'Fair Trial'

people.com

Jan 13, 2025

Asked whether the brothers, who are being held at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, received a fair trial, Hochman responded, “The verdict has been affirmed as a fair trial under the law by every legal judge that has seen it in the state and federal system. Everyone has concluded that the trial met constitutional standards.”

[..]

Hochman says Gascón’s handling of the Menendez case “cast a cloud over whether or not it is the just motion to bring, or it was just a political ploy," he says. “My goal in conducting this thorough review of the facts and the law is to remove any cloud over the credibility of the ultimate decision that I reach.”

 

[iamshadow21]

Menendez brothers resentencing hearing postponed following Los Angeles Wildfires

The judge overseeing the Menendez brothers' resentencing postponed their next hearing following the devastating fires in Los Angeles County.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Menendez Family Reveals Erik and Lyle’s Mindset as the Brothers Await Their Last Chance for Freedom (Exclusive)

Erik and Lyle Menendez are 'grateful for the support' as they 'cautiously' await resentencing decision, their family members say.

people.com

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

 

[Noirdame79]

Bob always tells it like it is!

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Menendez brothers: Prosecutors claim retaliation by DA over case

The allegations come weeks before a hearing that could decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should be resentenced.

www.bbc.com

Two Los Angeles County prosecutors who advocated for the Menendez brothers' release from prison claim they were retaliated against by Los Angeles County's new District Attorney Nathan Hochman, according to letters obtained by the BBC.

The two prosecutors filed notices indicating their intent to sue over allegations of retaliation, defamation and discrimination.

The filings come just weeks before a crucial court hearing where the fate of Erik and Lyle Menendez is set to be decided - about 30 years after they were sentenced to life in prison for killing their parents.

 

[Seattle1]

Menendez brothers: Prosecutors claim retaliation by DA over case

The allegations come weeks before a hearing that could decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should be resentenced.

www.bbc.com

Two Los Angeles County prosecutors who advocated for the Menendez brothers' release from prison claim they were retaliated against by Los Angeles County's new District Attorney Nathan Hochman, according to letters obtained by the BBC.

The two prosecutors filed notices indicating their intent to sue over allegations of retaliation, defamation and discrimination.

The filings come just weeks before a crucial court hearing where the fate of Erik and Lyle Menendez is set to be decided - about 30 years after they were sentenced to life in prison for killing their parents.

From the link, the two prosecutors were not getting along with their own supervisor and other prosecutors before Hochman elected! So typical. Nonetheless, every new elected DA comes with their own crew-- no different than the governor or white house and changing of the guard.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Menendez: "I faced a lot of bullying and trauma ... it was a dangerous environment."

Levin: "What happened to you?"

Erik Menendez: "I was picked on, bullied violently, and it was traumatic, and it was continual. You know, there's things that a lot of inmates in prison go through when they're not part of a gang structure."

Menendez brothers say they faced violence and bullying in prison

Lyle and Erik Menendez called TMZ's "2 Angry Men" podcast, hosted by Harvey Levin and their defense attorney Mark Geragos.

6abc.com

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

CNN online February 21, 2025 article by Elizabeth Wolfe entitled ‘Los Angeles DA urges judge to deny Menendez brothers’ request for a new trial’

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/us/menendez-brothers-sentence-petition-denied/index.html

 

[worm]

I love your thought process, because you express my thoughts exactly. The murder of their parents, especially their mother was extremely brutal. From my perspective they need to stay where they are. At the moment they committed their horrendous crime, they were not REPEAT - NOT IN IMMINENT DANGER- that is the key issue-- they could have left the home- they had options but they chose brutal murder. Don't know if they were abused or not, but at that moment they were not being abused- they could have left the home and chosen some other way to deal with their issues.

I’ve often thought that if the dad was a full on demon then if we give them that but the way their mother was killed is inexcusable.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

I’ve often thought that if the dad was a full on demon then if we give them that but the way their mother was killed is inexcusable.

I think it's very likely that their dad was that terrible (even corroboration from a cousin); as for Kitty, I'm not convinced of anything other than being a bad mother, although worse isn't out of the question. I don't know if either of them ever threatened their sons' lives, but it's plausible. Unfortunately, I really don't think that matters, because the way they did it certainly was premeditated... Almost textbook. I get that it's extremely hard to tell anyone, including the LAPD, that you're being sexually abused. Nothing should be harder than driving hours to buy buckshot a week before blowing two people's heads off while they're watching TV. Given how terrible the abuse was that they likely faced, if there is a legal justification that can be made for reducing their convictions to Murder 2, by all means, give them parole. I just don't see it, though. If the manner in which they did it was made more justifiable by the victims' past behavior, nobody would ever get life without parole for mob hits.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

L.A. County D.A. Hochman opposes a new trial for Menendez brothers

Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said Friday that he'll revisit the issue of resentencing the brothers, who are serving life terms for killing their parents in 1989.

www.latimes.com

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman announced Friday that he’s opposing a petition by attorneys for Erik and Lyle Menendez asking the court to take another look at their case amid new sexual assault allegations they say corroborate a history of abuse.

But Hochman stopped short of shutting down the possibility of resentencing the brothers, who are serving life terms for killing their parents, saying he’ll revisit the issue in “the coming weeks.”

 

[Noirdame79]

I think it's very likely that their dad was that terrible (even corroboration from a cousin); as for Kitty, I'm not convinced of anything other than being a bad mother, although worse isn't out of the question. I don't know if either of them ever threatened their sons' lives, but it's plausible. Unfortunately, I really don't think that matters, because the way they did it certainly was premeditated... Almost textbook. I get that it's extremely hard to tell anyone, including the LAPD, that you're being sexually abused. Nothing should be harder than driving hours to buy buckshot a week before blowing two people's heads off while they're watching TV. Given how terrible the abuse was that they likely faced, if there is a legal justification that can be made for reducing their convictions to Murder 2, by all means, give them parole. I just don't see it, though. If the manner in which they did it was made more justifiable by the victims' past behavior, nobody would ever get life without parole for mob hits.

Their mother was known to be verbally and emotionally abusive, and she treated the cousins who stayed at the house the same way. She didn't protect her sons from their father. Other than the purchase of the guns (which they stated that they bought for protection, and ultimately that cannot be proven or disproven), everything that people point to as premeditation happened after they killed their parents. The parents also owned shotguns, by the way. There was a lot of corroboration that both parents were abusive. Jose Menendez did threaten to kill one of his son's friends, and this was overheard by at least two witnesses. A grown man threatening to kill a teenage boy. The parents were most likely standing when they were shot, and the medical examiner came to that conclusion.

The parents' heads were not blown off. I get that is sometimes said for dramatic effect, but that's not what happened.

Abuse is a mitigating factor; it literally re-wires a person's brain, especially abuse from childhood. That does not mean that the brothers should not have been punished for their actions, but rather that they should have been convicted of a lesser charge - manslaughter. If they had, they would have been free by now.

JMO

 

[Noirdame79]

I’ve often thought that if the dad was a full on demon then if we give them that but the way their mother was killed is inexcusable.

The mother was no better. She kept photos that her husband took of their children's genitals. She neglected her sons and literally told people she wished they had never been born. She blamed them for not being able to have the career she wanted. People were afraid of her and were in fear of her reaction. Her sister-in-law said it was hard to say no to Kitty because she didn't accept no for an answer. According to Lyle, she molested him. She also hated his girlfriends and asked Jose's sister to spy on him at the condo they purchased for him in Princeton (just before their deaths) to make sure that his former girlfriend wasn't living with him. Clearly, there was something wrong with the family dynamic.

MOO

 

[Swirlz]

That does not mean that the brothers should not have been punished for their actions,

The defense requested a standard self-defense instruction. Their position was that given the defendant's particular set of circumstances, lethal force was justified under the law. Jose Menendez was a child rapist who raped little boys, both his own and at least one other child. Kitty was basically Ghislaine Maxwell. Self-defense is legal.

 

[ilovewings]

The defense requested a standard self-defense instruction. Their position was that given the defendant's particular set of circumstances, lethal force was justified under the law. Jose Menendez was a child rapist who raped little boys, both his own and at least one other child. Kitty was basically Ghislaine Maxwell. Self-defense is legal.

so let me understand, that if someone has been abused by their parents at some time in their lives, using self defense as a defense is appropriate and a "legal defense" because they worried they could be further abused or even killed? that sure gives killers a lot of leeway. For me that is a BS defense. I believe in self defense if a person is in imminent danger--- I know the brothers have stated they felt threatened that particular evening- but was there any evidence that their parents came at them with a gun, a knife or stated " I'm going to kill you" and came after them that particular night? no there isn't. May be they have spent enough time in prison. I watch crime shows all the time where the convicted killer gets paroled after a relatively short period of time. Watching a case now where the killer got 30 years but was paroled after 11 years. The family of the victim is disgusted and appalled as they should be.