Politics
Why the Menendez brothers may get a resentencing after more than 30 years in prison
After serving more than three decades in prison for murdering their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez may have a chance at freedom.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Thursday that his office is reviewing new evidence brought by the brothers’ attorneys related to allegations of sexual abuse, and that his office will decide whether the brothers should be resentenced and possibly released from prison.
“We are not, at this point, ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information,” Gascón said. “But we’re here to tell you because we have a moral and ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us and make a determination.”
A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26.
In 1989, the brothers were convicted of shooting and killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion, and the case was a media sensation at the time. Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were 18 and 21 respectively when the crime was committed, admitted to killing their parents, saying it was self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father and indifference from their mother.
Their first trial was declared a mistrial, and at their second trial, prosecutors managed to disqualify a large amount of evidence of sexual abuse and accused the brothers of lying about it. A jury ultimately found them guilty of first-degree murder, and they were sentenced to life without parole.
The brothers have long tried to get their convictions vacated. But public interest and support for them has surged in recent months, in large part due to a hit Netflix documentary series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” The show has been widely criticized for liberties taken in depicting the brothers’ relationship. Erik Menendez also issued a statement through his wife calling the series a “dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime.”
Gascón noted to reporters on Thursday that the Netflix show has sparked “tremendous interest” in the case. “We’re getting a lot of calls,” he said.
Cliff Gardner, one of the brothers’ attorneys, told The Associated Press that they believe resentencing is “appropriate,” given the new evidence and the current “understanding of how sexual and physical abuse impacts children — both boys and girls.”
“The brothers have served more than 30 years in prison,” he added. “That is enough.”
CORRECTION (Oct. 24, 2024, 3:32 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated Erik Menendez’s age at the time of the crime. He was 18, not 19.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for BLN Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
South Carolina Republicans defied President Donald Trump and blocked a redistricting measure that would have drawn out the state’s lone Democrat, Rep. Jim Clyburn.
The move Tuesday all but kills their chances of flipping that seat for 2026. It’s possible the GOP will still draw out Clyburn before 2028.
A procedural vote to end debate on the map early failed in the state Senate 24-20, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats. The state Senate then voted to adjourn until June 10, effectively ending any hope of redistricting before the midterms.
It’s a massive pivot from just two weeks ago, when GOP Gov. Henry McMaster chose to call a special season to redraw after pressure from Trump and the White House. Now, Republican lawmakers who defected in South Carolina could face the same fate in 2028 as Indiana lawmakers who rebuked Trump — and then lost their primaries to MAGA-aligned challengers.
But because of the timing of the elections — the timing they refused to change — the South Carolina Republicans will likely be safe until the 2028 primaries, as early voting has already begun for this year.
The rebuke from fellow Republicans came as a shock to Trump’s political operation, according to one person close to the White House granted anonymity to discuss the internal dynamics. McMaster never gave the White House a heads up that the vote was on track to fail, the person said.
McMaster’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The state’s Senate GOP leader, Shane Massey, had long opposed a redraw, giving a fiery speech during a procedural vote earlier this month that received national attention. Despite earlier votes in the Senate looking on pace for a redraw, a number of Republicans flipped on Tuesday, citing the start of early voting as reason for doing so.
Even without the extra seat from South Carolina, Republicans have an overall edge in the redistricting war. But many of those wins came from the courts.
The Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year to narrow the Voting Rights Act has led to swift redraws across other Southern states, and the Virginia Supreme Court erased a four-seat Democratic gerrymander that was approved by voters.
There are still some states outstanding before November. Alabama Republicans are trying to use a 2023 map that eliminates a Democratic-held seat, but it’s jammed up in court. And Louisiana Republicans are still working to pass a map before the midterms.
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