The Menendez brothers could go free as DA considers an early release in light of new evidence, which includes a bombshell letter.
Earlier this month, Monsters creator Ryan Murphy predicted that Erik and Lyle Menendez could be released by Christmas, and it may actually happen. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is said to be mulling an early release for the Menendez brothers as he seeks re-election.
“Given the totality of the circumstances, I don’t think they deserve to be in prison until they die,” Gascón told ABC News Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang in a recent interview. In a statement to Deadline, Chang said, “He is tipping his hand to the totality of evidence that his office has been considering. He also added that there are deep differences of opinion about this case within the DA’s office and that this is not a decision he is taking lightly.” The full interview, IMPACT x Nightline: Menendez Brothers: Monsters or Victims?, will stream on Hulu on October 17th.
A number of Menendez family members gathered outside Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center today to demand leniency for the brothers. One of the new pieces of evidence is a letter allegedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin Andy Cano eight months before the murders. “I’ve been trying to avoid dad. It’s still happening Andy but it’s worse for me now. I can’t explain it. He’s so overweight that I just can’t stand to see him. I never know when it’s going to happen and it’s driving me crazy,” said Erik in the letter.
Thanks to Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the true-crime documentary The Menendez Brothers, interest in the case has returned to heights not seen since their highly publicized trial in the ’90s. A new court hearing has been set for November 29th, which will determine whether the Menendez brothers should be resentenced in light of new evidence.
“We have been given evidence. We have been given a photocopy of a letter that allegedly was sent by one of the brothers to another family member talking about him being the victim of molestation. We’ve also got evidence that was provided by the defense, by his lawyers, that one of the members of the Menudo band alleged that he was molested by the father. None of this information has been confirmed,” Gascón announced on October 3rd. “We are not at this point ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information, but we’re here to tell you is that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us and make a determination based on a resentencing side, whether they deserve to be resentenced, even though they were clearly the murderers, because they have been in prison for 35 years and they have paid back their dues to society, or whether behaviors is appropriate. If there was evidence that was not presented to the court at that time, and had that evidence been presented, perhaps a jury would have come to a different conclusion.“
Do you think the Menendez brothers will see an early release?