Menendez Brothers’ Petition for New Trial Rejected

A judge has denied Eric and Lyle Menendez’s request for a new trial, stating that new evidence of alleged sexual abuse by their father would not have changed the trial’s outcome. The brothers have been imprisoned for over 35 years for the shooting deaths of their parents.

This decision, made by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan on Monday, marks another setback for the brothers in their attempts to secure release. Their parole was also denied following a lengthy hearing in late August.

In 2023, a habeas corpus petition was filed claiming that the brothers could have introduced further evidence regarding sexual abuse by their father, Jose Menendez. This included a letter from Eric Menendez to his cousin, Andy Cano, written in 1988, as well as allegations from Roy Rosselló, a former member of the band Menudo, who claimed to have raped Eric.

The brothers have maintained that their father had been abusing them and that they feared for their lives, worried that their parents would kill them to cover up the situation in their home in Beverly Hills. Prosecutors argued that the murders of their parents in 1989 were committed to access their substantial inheritance, highlighting the brothers’ extravagant spending afterward.

Judge Ryan noted that the new evidence did not add anything significant to the prior allegations. He stated that it was clear the siblings had planned the murders of their abusive father and their mother. He emphasized that the evidence presented wouldn’t have changed the conviction for the designated lesser crimes.

Nathan Hochman, a lawyer for the district attorney’s office, agreed with the judge’s assertion, indicating that the evidence of abuse couldn’t alter the fact that the brothers executed a premeditated plan to kill their parents in their living room.

Ryan remarked that the brothers did not prove to be in immediate danger at the time of the event. A spokesperson for a group of over 30 Menendez relatives advocating for the brothers’ release did not respond promptly for comment, nor could a representative from the District Attorney’s office provide immediate feedback.

The chilling incident occurred while the brothers allegedly ambushed their parents with shotguns while they were watching a movie in the living room. Prosecutors stated that Jose Menendez was shot five times, with the last fatal shot coming after Kitty Menendez was severely injured on the floor.

The petition rejected this week was just one of three legal avenues the Menendez team has pursued to seek freedom. Earlier this year, another judge upheld their life sentences but eligible for parole after their initial life terms. They have both been denied release at their first parole hearing but could have another opportunity before a state panel in 18 months. There’s also a pending petition with Governor Gavin Newsom.

The initial trial ended with both brothers being found guilty. In the second trial, allegations of abuse and supporting testimonies were limited, and by March 1996, both Lyle and Eric Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder.