Lyle and Erik seek a review of their sentence, which would allow liberation after spending more than three decades in prison for the murder of Joseph and Kitty Menéndez in his mansion in Beverly Hills
Lyle and Erik will appear to a court of Thursday (17) and Friday (18) to try to change his life imprisonment sentence for the murder of his parents in 1989. The brothers seek a review of his sentence, which would allow release after spending more than three decades in prison for the murder of Joseph and Kitty Menéndez in his mansion in Beverly Hills. The case shook the United States in the 1990s. Initially, the brothers said they suspected that the mafia was behind the bloody crime, as her father was a powerful music executive. However, during a trial with great coverage, the defense team portrayed them as victims of a violent father and a negligent mother and admitted that they committed the crime in self -defense after years of psychological and sexual abuse. The prosecution accused them of planning parricide to obtain an inheritance valued at $ 14 million ($ 82.3 million in the current price).
The initial jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict, but in a second trial they were sentenced to life imprisonment. As the case gained a new momentum last year, thanks to a miniseries and a documentary released by Netflix, the Menéndez brothers began a new legal crusade for their release with the support of the public and several of their families. Its supporters claim that 57 -year -old Lyle and Erik, 54, have exemplary prison behaviors and are ready to reintegrate into society. The campaign gained strength last year, when the then public prosecutor of Los Angeles defended in court a new sentence for the brothers. However, the new chief of staff, Nathan Hochman, changed the position of the prosecution.
Danger to society?
Hochman argues that the Menéndez did not take responsibility for heinous crime and that there is no additional evidence to support a change in the sentence or a new trial, another legal way that the defense considered. The prosecutor tried to withdraw the request to modify the judgment filed by his predecessor, but last week Judge Michael Jesic decided against him, which allowed a new hearing to review the sentence. The audience starts on Thursday morning in Los Angeles and is expected to last until Friday. The goal is to determine whether or not the Menéndez represent “a danger to society.” It is not out of question that the brothers, who participated virtually in the last hearing, appear before the judge to defend his case, his lawyer Mark Geragos said in a podcast last week. However, he emphasized that the decision was not made, as it was a high risk bet.
Posted by Luisa Cardoso
*With information from AFP
