*Why Some Believe The Infamous Menendez Brothers Should Be Released From Prison*
by Jax Miller
_The brothers were tried together, but two juries were assigned to the case since their testimonies could implicate one another. Spectators were taken aback when, during opening arguments, Lyle’s defense attorney, Jill Lansing, told jurors, “Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents.”_
_At the heart of the trial wasn’t whether the brothers killed their parents but whether they should be charged with murder or manslaughter._
_“This trial will take you behind the facade of the rich houses, the fancy cars, the wealthy friends, and impressive social engagements,” Lansing told jurors. “It will take you to the life that was experienced by Lyle Menendez and his brother as they grew up.”_
_Both Lyle and Erik gave convincing and emotional testimony that they were subjected to physical abuse at the hands of their father. On the stand, Erik admitted that, just days before their parents’ murders, he told his older brother that their father had molested him._
_Lyle testified that he believed his brother because he, too, was allegedly sexually assaulted by José at a young age._
_“I believed every word he said,” said juror Wendy Delahunt._
_Relatives’ testimony supported the brothers’ claims, including an uncle who said he watched José use a closed fist to punch a then 5-year-old Lyle in the face. One by one, family members testified to the abuse, with a cousin confirming that the boys told them about the sexual abuse years earlier._
_In December 1993, jurors began weeks of deliberations but couldn’t agree to the charges, resulting in a hung jury._
_“We took a first vote: Six women, manslaughter, six men, first-degree,” said Delahunt. “The men said the boys were lying; the women believed totally different… we were hopelessly deadlocked.”_
_The Menendez brothers’ second trial began at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys one and a half years later in August 1995. This time, testimony about José Menendez’s alleged abuse was severely limited._
_On March 20, 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole._
_“I still believe that the Menendez brothers did what they did out of fear because they felt that they were gonna be killed,” said Delahunt._
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Source: Blood & Money Season 1 Episode 6 The Case of the Menendez Brothers
