Prosecutors Advocate for Continued Incarceration of Menendez Brothers
As the potential release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who murdered their wealthy parents nearly 30 years ago, draws near, prosecutors from their trials believe they should remain behind bars.
Former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Pamela Bozanich, who prosecuted the brothers in their first trial, does not think that new evidence suggesting the brothers were sexually abused by their father justifies their release from prison.
Bozanich expressed her doubts about the alleged abuse and stated, “They killed their parents. They slaughtered their mother. Why should they live among us?”
Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón recently recommended that the brothers, now in their 50s, should be eligible for parole after spending over 30 years in prison for the murder of their parents in 1989.
While Gascón believes the brothers have served their time and are no longer a threat, Juan Mejia, a former deputy district attorney during the second trial, opposes their release, questioning the legitimacy of the new evidence and highlighting the brothers’ history of dishonesty.
The Menendez brothers were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for the brutal killings, following a highly publicized trial that brought them into the spotlight. The defense argued self-defense due to years of abuse, while prosecutors claimed the brothers were motivated by their parents’ fortune.
A second trial in 1995 resulted in both brothers being convicted on two counts of first-degree murder after the judge excluded most testimony about the alleged abuse. The case garnered renewed interest with the release of the Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
