Parent-murdering Menendez brothers seek freedom at trial, campaign to overturn convictions gains momentum

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 25 –– Lyle and Erik Menendez will appear in court Monday as the campaign to spare them from life in prison for the shotgun murders of their parents gathers pace.

The two have been in prison since a blockbuster trial in 1993 that has become near-obligatory viewing for millions of Americans.

Television viewers were thrilled by the gruesome details of the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez at the family’s lavish mansion in Beverly Hills.

Prosecutors portrayed it as a cold-hearted bid by the men (Lyle was 21 and Erik 18 at the time) to seize their parents’ $14 million (RM62.3 million) fortune.

But their lawyers described the 1989 killings as a desperate act of self-defense by young men who had been subjected to years of sexual abuse and psychological violence by an abusive father and a complicit mother.

There was a huge renewed interest in the case this year with the release of the Netflix hit movie. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

The brothers will appear in a court in Los Angeles via video link on Monday, their lawyers told local media.

The trial followed a campaign to secure their release, backed by Kim Kardashian and other celebrities.

“Release them before the holidays!” Erik’s wife, Tammi Menendez, wrote on social media last week:

The public interest is that a lottery will be held for 16 seats in the public gallery in the court where the case will be heard, and competition for these places is expected to be fierce.

‘Really great’

The hearing is a starting point for attorneys who are currently working on three paths to release Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56.

Attorney Mark Geragos filed a writ of habeas corpus that would have granted the brothers their immediate release, an attempt to effectively vacate the brothers’ first-degree murder conviction.

Another way is to try to get defendants to be sentenced again for the same crime, which will pave the way for them to seek parole.

Finally, Geragos submitted a request for clemency to California Governor Gavin Newsom.

As the excitement of the case nears fever pitch, tourists regularly make pilgrimages to the lavish house in Beverly Hills where the murders took place.

Born almost two decades after the double murders, Australian Christian Hannah made sure her home was a stop on her tour of the celebrity spotlight due to her admiration for the Netflix show.

“It’s really cool to see this in person,” he told AFP.

“It’s a really great feeling because you see it on TV and you see it in person.” –– AFP