Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story!
This article contains a discussion of the murder and sexual abuse surrounding the real life and crimes of Eric and Lyle Menendez.
As the duo's story gets new life in the Netflix show, attorney Mark Geragos assesses the Menendez brothers' chances of being released from prison. Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez. The second part of Ryan Murphy Monster anthology follows the trial of the titular brothers who murdered their parents in 1989, citing their parents' sexual and emotional abuse as the reason for the crimes. Monsters Season 2 ends with the duo serving life sentences without parole in 1996, where they are 28 years later.
Following the show's premiere, PEOPLE discussed how the brothers spoke with their attorney, Mark Geragos, after their convictions Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez will affect their chances of being released from prison. It also comes after former Menudo member Roy Rossello filed a Habeus Corpus petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2023 after new evidence emerged of allegations of sexual abuse against Jose, who she says raped her in the 80s. In a letter to his cousin Andy Cano, Eric described his father's sexual abuse in the months before the murders.
That's one reason the letter wasn't discovered sooner, Geragos says “no one was watching [the cousin’s personal] Effect until 2015“and therefore not found”10 years since our last appeal“and that his team's new defensive approach is key”the second court did not meet the constitutional protections for various reasons“:
We say that the second trial failed to meet constitutional protections for a variety of reasons. And Habeas [Corpus petition] has new evidence. New evidence is required for this because the case has been dead for almost 17 years. And the new evidence was a letter that Menudo's accuser and Andy Cano wrote or received from Eric eight months before the murder.
In exploring what this means for the future of the brothers, Geragos says that now there are “three things“The judge may decide on the petition, though he says he eventually ordered the DA to respond informally“they took it very seriously in the last 15 monthsHe also says the defense team conducted a conditional hearing on Kitty's older sister and had 24 family members testify.all asked them to be offended, and presented a number of other documents and evidences to be considered in their decision.“:
A judge can basically do three things. The judge can deny it, the judge can order the DA to answer, or the judge can do what the judge did, which is to order the DA to informally answer because they've taken it so seriously for the last 15 months. provided them with evidence.
When asked how the brothers felt about the new petition, Geragos says the Menendez “cautiously optimistic“while also feeling that the court would have a very different result if it happened today:
I looked at this case today, 99 times out of 100, it's voluntary manslaughter. Twenty years, 30 years, the culture moves and I think it's more enlightened or evolved, and people are starting to understand that maybe there was a feeding frenzy at that time and they weren't judged fairly with a more sober mind. .
Despite his optimism, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says they are “examination of the allegations in the petition“, and an unofficial response is due on September 26. Both former LA Deputy Attorney General Dmitri Gorin and defense attorney Neama Rahmani were also asked about their views on the brothers' chances of release, and neither thinks the new evidence will benefit their appealthe second him “A Hail Mary type argument“:
Dmitry Gorin
: I don't know how much this new evidence moves the needle. Because of the history of the case, according to previous court decisions, and materially, it doesn't really change the evidence in the case. More of the same. Terrible evidence. It is tragic that they are abused, but more of the same.
Neama Rahmani
: This is a Hail Mary type argument. This is not enough in my opinion. A corroborative record or the fact that a victim abused another is not the type of evidence that usually results in the granting of a habeas petition.
What This Means for the Menendez Brothers' Chances of Release
Looks like the show's exit won't help much
Although the request came a little more than a year before the show aired, it's clear that Geragos and his clients are hoping for it. Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez's premiere will generate new awareness and support for their story. This certainly wouldn't be the first time a true crime project has led to developments in highly publicized cases. one of the more notable ones is HBO Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durstin which the titular real estate heir accidentally confessed to the murders he was previously accused of and was later arrested and convicted.
Jinx
will then receive a second season, covering the eight years between Durst's incarceration before the season 1 premiere and its 2024 premiere, featuring Durst's phone calls while incarcerated and interviews with new people on the job.
However, despite the hopes of the Geragos and Menendez brothers, the fact that both LAC DA's offices have yet to respond informally, can direct Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez not enough to get the brothers out of jail. Although Gorin and Rahmani have at least one “long shot“More than absolute uncertainty, the evidence presented is largely consistent with the brothers' previous defense positions, making it difficult to grant a new trial.
We're Taking the Chances of the Menendez Brothers Free
Murphy's Netflix Show Did Little To Give Them A Meaningful Defense
Revisiting a court case that is more than 20 years old is certainly not unheard of. nor does the passage of time necessarily mean that someone has absolutely zero chance of getting a previous conviction overturned.. Again, we're looking at the true crime genre, as well as an investigative journalism podcast Into the dark and a 2020 documentary Who Killed Malcolm X? Successfully found new evidence in the murders of Curtis Flowers and Malcolm X, the latter accused of involvement in the assassination, and the famous Civil Rights activist leading to the release of the two men.
still, I believe it Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez will not be enough persuading either the court or the DA's office to properly grant a new trial to potentially overturn the brothers' life sentences. Eric Menendez recently came out with a scathing letter about the show.imprecise” portrayal of him and his brother, critics also agree that the show is a jumbled mess of conflicting tones and portrayals of its main characters. Even with the show turning against the show compared to the positive reaction of viewers to its first season, which featured Jeffrey Dahmer. , Monsters may have done more harm than good.
Source: PEOPLE