Can the Menendez brothers get a new trial?
Menendez brothers could get a NEW trial for gunning down their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion, as LA DA reviews evidence suggesting they lashed out over sex abuse. Two brothers serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murdering their parents in 1989 may now get a new trial.
Even if they were eligible for parole, they would likely never get out because of politics. A parole board would have to recommend release, but in California, the governor must sign off on it, and they rarely do. Especially in high-profile cases.”
In a 2005 interview with NBC News, she said she didn't “set out” to have a relationship with Erik, but that “something happened.” While the two aren't allowed conjugal visits — they stay in touch with regular visits and 15-minute phone calls — she insisted that she receives “emotional support” from her man.
The effort fell short; both Lyle and Erik were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder on March 21, 1996. They were sentenced to life without parole, each receiving two consecutive life terms, that July.
The brothers were convicted of shooting and killing their parents, Jose and Kitty, in 1989. They claimed their mother and father abused them physically and sexually for years, and during their first trials, jurors could not reach a verdict.
Erik and Lyle Menendez's net worth went to zero since the remaining sum disappeared after a brief period, leaving them broke. What happened to the Menendez house? The Beverly Hills mansion was sold in 1991 at $3.6 million. This was close to a $2.1 million loss.
Under California law, all his property was split equally with his wife. Under their wills, their sole heirs were their sons.
In an emotional closing, defense attorney Charles Gessler pointed out the brothers' lack of prior criminal record or other violent acts and their immaturity at the time of the killings. "There is so much good in the worst of us; so much bad in the best of us," he said. "A death penalty is not just retribution.
The second trial, which began in October 1995 and lacked much of the testimony centered on allegations of sexual abuse by Jose Menendez, ended with both brothers being convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy. The brothers were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But when Lyle was transferred in February, they were housed in different sections so they could not interact, Thornton said. On April 4, Eric was transferred to Lyle's housing facility within that prison, and in that facility, all the inmates have the ability to interact with one another, she said.
Will the Menendez brothers be eligible for parole?
Erik and Lyle Menendez are now housed together at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. The pair are each serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing their parents in 1989.
The Menendez brothers' spending spree was one of the principal pieces of evidence the prosecution used against them in the trial. Between committing the crime and confessing on October 31, 1989, the brothers went through about $700,000. In today's terms, that translates to an even million.
They got married in 1999 in the waiting room at Folsom State Prison, with Tammi saying of the ceremony, "Our wedding cake was a Twinkie. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave.
He testified that Menendez continues to display symptoms of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, as he did on Aug. 20, 1989, when he and older brother Lyle shotgunned their parents to death at the family's Beverly Hills home.
Abramson told the jury she will introduce evidence that Erik suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has symptoms including helplessness, depression, pervasive anxiety and low self-esteem.
The subsequent trial became one of the most sensationalized murder stories of the early '90s. And if you happen to live near Beverly Hills, you can actually visit the home. If you don't, you can check out 722 N. Elm Drive, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210 on Google Street View.
The house in Calabasas, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, was bought by Raymond and Vera Stewart of suburban Woodland Hills. They purchased the house Thursday at probate proceedings in Beverly Hills Superior Court.
The family's money came entirely from the father, Jose, who came to the United States from Cuba at the age of 16. He started his career at an accounting firm, moving on to work for such companies as Hertz and RCA before flourishing in the entertainment industry.
How much was the Menendez house?
20, 1989, Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, 47, and her husband Jose Mendendez, 45, were murdered by their two sons in their $5 million, 9,000-square-foot mansion at 722 North Elm Drive in Beverly Hills.
In their early married life she was an elementary school teacher, but after giving birth to her children, Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez, she became a full-time homemaker.
According to ABC News, in April 2018, Erik and Lyle Menendez were reunited at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, Calif. They are both imprisoned there now, serving life sentences without the option of parole.
Oziel said he described for Lyle and Erik Menendez the difference between a crime of passion and a sociopathic crime done as “a means to an end.” The brothers, Oziel testified, “looked at each other and said: 'We're sociopaths. ' ”
Both were held without bail and kept separate from each other. In August 1990, Judge James Albrecht ruled that tapes of the conversations between Erik and Oziel were admissible evidence since Oziel stated that Lyle allegedly threatened him and violated doctor–patient privilege.
The Menendez brothers were convicted in the second trial, and on July 2, 1996, Weisberg sentenced the two to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Weisberg retired from the judgeship in 2008.
It was also the time that the brothers began robbing their friends' parents. They would break into the homes to take money and jewellery. It was later estimated that they stole in excess of $100,000, enough to have been charged with Grand Theft Burglary, a felony offence.
In their first trial in 1993, Erik and Lyle Menendez were tried together, but each brother had his own separate jury. There was gavel-to-gavel TV coverage of the bloody crime scene and graphic accounts of alleged molestation. But after five months of testimony some jurors did not believe the allegations.
Were the Menendez brothers Hispanic?
Erik Galen Menendez was born on November 27, 1970, in Blackwood, New Jersey, the younger son of Jose and Mary "Kitty" Menendez. Jose, a Cuban immigrant, had made himself into a successful entertainment executive, and he exerted tremendous pressure on his boys to succeed as well.
Erik and Lyle Menendez will claim during their murder trial that they killed their wealthy parents in self-defense out of fear that their mother and father were intent on killing them, one of the brothers' defense attorneys said Tuesday.
722 Elm Drive was last sold in November 2001 to telecommunications executive Sam Delug for $3.743 million.
LA County District Attorney George Gascon is reviewing a petition for a new trial in connection with the 1989 murder in Beverly Hills of Jose and Kitty Menendez by their sons Lyle and Erik, filed by the brothers' lawyers this week citing new evidence.
Jamie Lee Pisarcik is the ex-fiancé of Lyle Menendez. She testified for the prosecution.
They continued to grow in their marriage until 2001 when Eriksson found out Lyle was cheating on her with another pen pal. Eriksson decided to divorce Lyle shortly after discovering Lyle's secret lover.
Documentary Series.
Was Kitty Menendez a beauty queen?
Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez (née Andersen; October 14, 1941- August 20, 1989) was an American socialite, and former teacher and beauty queen.
Not that there would be much of the estate left. Jose and Kitty's $14.5 million fortune, which Jose built as CEO of Live Entertainment, had "almost entirely been run through" by April 1994, though, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At the time of the crime Lyle was 21-years-old, while Erik was 18-years-old.
According to Forbes, it was first sold to murder mystery TV writer William Link. Then, in 2001, it was sold to a telecommunications executive named Sam Delug, according to Realtor.com. It doesn't appear to have changed hands since then.
'May 17, 1990: Trial for the Menendez Brothers' (ABC):
The trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez gets underway. Before the trial begins, Judge Weisberg grants a petition allowing the court proceedings to be broadcast on television.
The pair are each serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing their parents in 1989.
Investigation based upon the true story of the Mendendez Brothers and the murder of their parents.
The Menendez brothers will never be released from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California. They are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole over the fatal shootings of their parents Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez.
Two juries in the first trial – one for each brother – heard 101 witnesses and examined 405 exhibits over 85 days of testimony that ran from July 20 to December 3, 1993. The case ended with two mistrials in January 1994 after neither brother's jury could agree on a verdict.
Is Erik Menendez still married?
Erik and his now-wife, Tammi Menendez, first met in August 1997 after years of correspondence. They both described their connection as being love at first sight — and she and her daughter eventually moved to California to be closer to him.
Lawyer Leslie Abramson Today. Generations of true crime fanatics got to know attorney Leslie Abramson throughout the murder trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez, accused and convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.
The second trial, which began in October 1995 and lacked much of the testimony centered on allegations of sexual abuse by Jose Menendez, ended with both brothers being convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy. The brothers were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After firing several shots, Lyle Menendez said, he put the 12-gauge shotgun against the back of his father's head and pulled the trigger.
"Dateline: Secrets Uncovered" Unthinkable: The Menendez Murders (TV Episode 2021) - IMDb.
