The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez on Thursday rejected claims by the Los Angeles district attorney that the brothers hadn't appropriately taken responsibility for the 1989 killing of their parents and said that any lies they told during their murder trial were due to trauma and fear, the AP reports. "Kids lie when they're scared, when they feel intimidated, and when they become traumatized. They lie when they don't know who to trust. But they grow up, they learn, and they take responsibility," said Tamara Goodell, a cousin of the brothers who spoke Thursday at a rally calling for the brothers' release from prison.
The family's rally was supposed to coincide with a resentencing hearing for the brothers that could result in them being immediately eligible for parole after 35 years behind bars. The hearing was postponed to April after Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced his office was withdrawing the resentencing motion previously submitted by his predecessor, George Gascón. While it is possible for the judge to proceed without the district attorney's support, legal experts say the brothers' chances of success have diminished tremendously. Their remaining pathways to freedom include being granted clemency by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, or a habeas corpus petition for a new trial their attorneys submitted for court consideration in May 2023, which Hochman also opposes.
The brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, were convicted of murdering their mother, Kitty Menendez, and their entertainment executive father, Jose, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They began their latest bid for freedom in recent years after their attorneys said new evidence emerged about their father's sexual abuse. The brothers had the support of most of their extended family. Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers, said they have already taken responsibility and acknowledged their mistakes. The family has no intention on changing their position, and Baralt said she hopes the brothers don't as well.
(More
Erik Menendez stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
