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The Daily Aztec: Fresh evidence revives public interest in the Menendez Brothers case

With fresh evidence resurfacing in the public eye, the Menendez brothers’ case has again drawn public attention potentially reopening their controversial trial. 

Erik and Lyle Menendez, a wealthy Beverly Hills family, were convicted in August of 1996 for the murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez.

Kitty was a stay-at-home mother, while Jose was a prominent entertainment executive.

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The Wrap: Menendez Brothers’ Cases Will Be Handled Separately Under New LA District AttorneY

The new Los Angeles District Attorney has reiterated that the Menendez Brothers cases will be handled separately.

In his first network interview, incoming DA Nathan Hochman explained to NBC News’ Lester Holt that the infamous brothers face their own individual cases. While that was always the case – each brother faced their own jury and case initially – much of the public packages the pair together when thinking about their crime.

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The Wrap: Menendez Family Lawyer Accuses D.A. Nathan Hochman of Working Against the Brothers

Freedman added that Anderson “has no personal knowledge of how Lyle and Erik have behaved while incarcerated” and also cannot “opine on whether they are a threat to society since he has not interacted with them in any way.”

“Was it Kathy Cady (Anderson’s lawyer) that you met with on behalf of Milton Anderson?” Freedman continued. “If so, how was the meeting arranged with Kathy Cady? Did she support your campaign for office? Did her support of your campaign or her writing a published op-ed give Milton Anderson any advantage to be able to have his attorney meet with you?”

On Wednesday Hochman transferred Deputies Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford, who petitioned a judge to grant parole to Erik and Lyle Menendez, from the case. In October, Theberge and Lunsford submitted a 57-page filing that attested the “overwhelming” evidence of the Menendez brothers’ rehabilitation in prison should result in a resentencing, which would immediately make them eligible for parole.

In January, Mark Geragos, another lawyer for the brothers, will ask Judge Michael Jesic to consider a resentencing.

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The NYTimes: The Menendez Brothers’ Case Challenges the Limits of Our Understanding of Abuse

Recently, a Los Angeles judge delayed a hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez in their bid to be resentenced for the murder of their parents 35 years ago. Renewed interest in the brothers’ case, fueled by Netflix’s recent docudrama series and documentary on the brothers, has drawn celebrity advocates to call for their release, alongside an army of TikTok accounts. Unfortunately for the brothers, social advocacy rarely corresponds to judicial change.

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Variety: “Menendez Brothers’ Netflix Doc reveals Erik’s drawings of his abuse and Lyle saying “I would much rather lose the murder trial than talk about our past’”

"The patriarch’s violent behavior towards his boys was not limited to private moments. Diane Vander Molen, Lyle and Erik’s cousin, said: 'One time, Jose put Lyle on a kitchen counter and prompted Lyle to jump off, and he was going to catch him. As Lyle did so, Jose backed off, and let him fall to the ground, telling him that you can never trust anybody.'"

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