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October 3, 2024

Kim Kardashian advocates reconsidering Menendez brothers' LWOP sentences just as Los Angeles DA begins to do so

As reported in this new NBC News piece, "Prosecutors in California are reviewing the convictions of the Menendez brothers, who were found guilty in the 1989 killing of their parents, to determine whether they should be resentenced and potentially released, officials said Thursday." Here is more:

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said his office is also reviewing possible evidence included in petitions the brothers filed last year alleging molestation by their father.  Gascón said that the allegations are under review and that none of the information has been confirmed. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26....

That evaluation in the brothers' case is ongoing, he said, adding: "Until we get there, we’re not sure yet which direction this will go."

Joseph “Lyle” Menendez, now 56, and Erik Menendez, now 53, were convicted in 1996 in the shotgun murders of their parents at their Beverly Hills homes seven years before.  After two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without parole and remain incarcerated in a California prison.

In their initial trials, the brothers said their father sexually abused them for years.  Prosecutors accused them of killing their parents to inherit a fortune.  The proceedings ended in a mistrial.  The abuse allegations were limited at their second trial. The brothers were convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole....

The district attorney's announcement came amid controversy over a new Netflix series about the case, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."  In a statement released by his wife, Erik Menendez said that the series included "blatant lies" and that it was "ruinous" for his brother....

The district attorney, Gascón, is up for re-election.  He said at Thursday's news conference that more than 300 people have been resentenced during his term and that only four have gone on to commit crimes again.

Intriguingly, today Kim Kardashian also authored this "personal essay" in which she states that her "hope is that Erik and Lyle Menendez’s life sentences are reconsidered." Here is a portion of her essay:

According to Erik and Lyle, they were physically, sexually and emotionally abused by their parents since childhood, and their father repeatedly raped them when they were just little boys.  Many people believe the crimes the brothers committed are unforgivable — but what about the decades of alleged abuse they suffered as children?

I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters.  They are kind, intelligent, and honest men.  In prison, they both have exemplary disciplinary records.  They have earned multiple college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice, and been mentors in college programs — committed to giving back to others.  When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors.  Twenty-four family members, including their parents’ siblings, have released statements fully supporting Lyle and Erik and have respectfully requested that the justice system free them.

The killings are not excusable.  I want to make that clear.  Nor is their behavior before, during or after the crime.  But we should not deny who they are today in their 50s.  The trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial killer than two individuals who endured years of sexual abuse by the very people they loved and trusted.  I don’t believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case.  Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different.  I also strongly believe that they were denied a fair second trial and that the exclusion of crucial abuse evidence denied Erik and Lyle the opportunity to fully present their case, further undermining the fairness of their conviction.

October 3, 2024 at 08:29 PM | Permalink

Comments

Ah California, where be nice to criminals is a reality and not just a slogan:

https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2024/10/03/teen-murderer-set-free-by-da-george-gascon-now-charged-in-another-murder-n3795354

Posted by: federalist | Oct 4, 2024 1:50:34 PM

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