Judge in California rejects appeal for a fresh trial by Menendez brothers regarding the 1989 homicides of their parents.
The Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle, who were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989, have faced yet another setback in their quest for freedom. California Judge William C. Ryan has rejected a request for a new trial, denying a May 2023 petition seeking a review of the brothers' convictions.
The denial comes just weeks after both brothers were denied parole. Erik Menendez was denied parole a day earlier, while Lyle Menendez was denied parole for three years by a panel of two commissioners on Aug 22.
The request for a new trial was based on new evidence supporting the brothers' claims of sexual abuse by their father. However, the judge wrote that the new evidence is not compelling enough to produce reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror or to support an imperfect self-defense instruction.
The parole hearings for both brothers occurred recently. The commissioners noted that Lyle Menendez still displays 'anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization, and rule-breaking.' The denial of Erik Menendez's parole was due to his misbehavior in prison, which was deemed a risk to public safety.
During the trial, defense attorneys argued that the brothers acted out of self-defense due to years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors claimed the brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance. The new evidence 'slightly corroborates' the allegations of sexual abuse, but does not negate the fact that the brothers acted with premeditation and deliberation in the killings.
An email was sent to Mark Geragos, a lawyer for the brothers, seeking comment on the judge's ruling, but no response has been received as of yet. The name of the lawyer representing Erik and Lyle Menendez is not explicitly mentioned in the provided search results.
The brothers are currently being held in separate prisons: Erik in San Diego and Lyle in an unspecified location. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 and are almost 30 years into their sentences. The parole hearings were the closest the brothers have come to winning freedom since their convictions almost 30 years ago.
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