This article contains discussion of sexual violence and assault.
Netflix’s must-seeThe Menendez Brothersdocumentary shed new light on the guilty verdicts handed down to Lyle and Erik Menendez,Lyle and Erik Menendez, who had admitted to the murders of their parents, Jose and Mary (a.k.a. Kitty).Their first trial in 1993 failed to find a verdict despite six months of jury deliberationand was declared a mistrial. Final guilty verdicts were reached after a short second trial in 1994, which the new jury concluded in less than a week. Netflix’s seriesMonsters: The Story of The Menendez BrothersandThe Menendez Brothersdocumentaryhave emerged to bring new perspectives to the case.
According toThe Menendez Brothers,two chief factors impacted the second trial.The first was its proximity to the unlikely acquittal of OJ Simpson, who just one week earlier had been set free in what was seen as a major blow to LA’s justice department, and the second was Judge Stanley Weisberg’s curious direction that crucial elements of Lyle and Erik’s defense, which centered around the physical and sexual abuse they’d suffered at the hands of their father, would not be admissible in the new trial.
The Judge Crucially Limited The Menendez Brothers' Abuse Defense In Their Second Trial
Judge Stanley Weisburg Denied Defense Witnesses
The Menendez BrothersDirector Alejandro Hartmann pulls no punches in his assessment of Judge Weisman’s role inErik and Lyle Menendez’s downfall. He ignores any suggestion of interference by up-for-re-election DA Gil Garcetti in favor of the Judge’s acute embarrassment at the inconclusive first trial, which he set out to correct at the retrial. Consequently,Weisman limited the 56 defense witnesses that had appeared previously, precluding even the boys' cousin Diane, who had testified that Lyle had told her of his father’s abuse at eight years old.
Post-trial, jurors declared those powerful performances on the stand were instrumental in their inability to reach a first-degree murder verdict…
In fact, all Menendez family witnesses critical of Jose were disallowed. A critical feature of the first trial was Erik and Lyle’s personal testimony when they broke down on the stand as they graphically described their father’s sexual abuse. Post-trial, jurors declared those powerful performances on the stand were instrumental in their inability to reach a first-degree murder verdict, rather than a much lesser manslaughter charge, which would acknowledge the role years of abuse played in the murders.In the second trial, Lyle did not testify, and the Judge crucially removed the manslaughter option.It was first-degree murder or nothing.
What The Menendez Brothers' Netflix Doc Reveals About OJ Simpson’s Impact On Their Second Trial
OJ Simpson’s Acquittal Directly Affected The Menendez Retrial
The Menendez Brothersdocumentary insists that the OJ Simpson trial and acquittal played a significant part in the boys' conviction. Simpson had been arrested a week after the 1993 mistrial, and his trial ended one week before the 1994 Menendez retrial began.Hartmann contends that the Simpson verdict had eroded confidencein the legal system’s ability to bring famous defendants to book, and that a somewhat sympathetic public in 1993 had turned sour on the Menendez brothers by 1994. Their defense lawyer, Leslie Abramson was more explicit, saying: “It’s going to be payback time.”
The documentary goes one step further in suggesting that Judge Weisman’s approach to the retrial was unduly affected by the issues surrounding Simpson’s supposed evasion of justice, andhe set about making what Lyle would later describe as “very biased decisions.“The prosecution remained convinced that the Menendez brothers' defense was borrowed by Abramson wholesale from a previous case she’d tried, and as prosecutor Pamela Bozanich said: “The whole defense was fabricated. It was done artfully, but it was fabricated.” It seemed that the second time around, Judge Weisman had come to a similar conclusion.
Why Erik & Lyle Menendez Filed For Mistrials For Their Second Trial
A TikTok Campaign and New Evidence Prevails
Erik and Lyle remain convinced that their retrial was mishandled, and that their first-degree murder convictions should be vacated. Their contention is supported by new evidence that has come to light, notably that of Roy Rosello, a former member of boy band Menudo,who insists that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him as a teenagerand when Jose was head of RCA Records, lending credence to the boys' abuse defense. In addition, a new TikTok campaign, Free The Menendi, has gathered momentum as public opinion appears to turn again in their favor.
The Real Trial Videos Of Erik & Lyle Menendez Are So Much Harder To Watch Than Monster Season 2
The actual footage of Erik & Lyle Menendez is even more unsettling & tragic to watch than the strong portrayals shown in Netflix’s Monsters season 2.
Consequently, the Menendez brothers have filed a petition with LA District Attorney George Gascon, and in a significant development,he has agreed to review their case “with an open mind.“ShouldThe Menendez Brothers’take on the tragic affair prove correct, and the brothers succeed in having their convictions reduced from first-degree murder to manslaughter, they will, of course, walk free.
The Menendez Brothers
Cast
Lyle and Erik Menendez, imprisoned for killing their parents, recount the crime and the dramatic trials in this documentary.
