Menendez Brothers, Imprisoned For 1989 Killings of Their Parents, May Be Freed After New Evidence Emerges
New evidence on the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Menendez Brothers, has emerged, and it has thrown their case into chaos as they may soon be freed after being convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, back in 1989.
The killings of the Menendez couple and the trial of their two sons over their murders became one of the 90's most infamous murder cases, capturing national attention. Lyle and Erik Menendez are still in prison for first-degree murder, but that may change soon as the case may be reopened.
A bombshell CBS documentary titled "The Menendez Brothers' Fight for Freedom" has shed new light on the case, showing that this new evidence is giving the brothers hope that a judge will reopen their case and finally be set free after decades behind bars.
The Menendez brothers actually admitted that they killed their parents back in 1989. However, for a long time, the focus was on why they murdered them, as they insisted that "they killed out of fear and in self-defense after a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse suffered at the hands of their parents."
In the documentary, one of the brothers' attorneys told "48 Hours" that the "new evidence corroborates those longstanding claims and lessens their culpability," arguing that the Menendez brothers should have been convicted of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder. This means that they should have been released from prison "a long time ago."
The new evidence includes a letter that Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin, Andy Cano, just eight months before the murder.
"I've been trying to avoid dad. It's still happening, Andy, but it's worse for me now. ... Every night I stay up thinking he might come in. ... I'm afraid. ... He's crazy. He's warned me a hundred times about telling anyone, especially Lyle," the letter read.
In the initial trial, Cano testified that Jose Menendez, the brothers' father, touched Erik, then 13 years old at the time of the murders, inappropriately. Prosecutors challenged this and claimed he was lying.
One of the Menendez Brothers Reveals Why They Did Not Claim Abuse During the Trial
Lyle Menendez spoke with "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales regarding the new revelations that the brothers suffered abuse from their parents when they were still young. There, he said that they shot their parents in self-defense after being subjected to years of sexual abuse. Jose was doing the abuse while Kitty, their mother, enabled it.
"There's just never been a case of guilt or innocence," he said. "It was always about why it happened."
Prosecutors never bought the brothers' abuse claims, and Lyle stated that it was a "shame" that they just did not want the abuse to be known to the public at that time.
What Happened When the Young Menendez Brothers Murdered Their Parents?
In 1989, the entire country was shocked when two young brothers, the other still a teenager, murdered their parents in cold blood. It happened Sunday evening, on August 20, 1989.
Both Jose and Kitty were shot multiple times at close range with a shotgun inside their mansion in Beverley Hills. Then, officers responded to the home after Lyle Menendez, then 21, called 911, screaming, "Someone killed my parents."
This led to a massive investigation that eventually led to the brothers getting scrutinized for their behavior. The two were reportedly spending their parents' money lavishly, including buying a Rolex watch and real estate. They were eventually arrested in March 1990 after a tip from Judalon Smyth, the girlfriend of a psychologist whom Lyle and Erik Menendez had been talking to.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
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