ana garcia Putting pressure on the justice system.
On August 20, 1989, Lyle and Eric Menendez murdered their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, leaving the country wondering what would happen next. After two trials, brother Convicted in 1996 and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole.
Now, there’s a chance to reduce those sentences, meaning Lyle, 56, and Eric, 53, Can be a free man.
Garcia sat down to talk with The Post and opened up Brother’s future may be spoiled – And what stands in the way of their freedom.
“The Los Angeles District Attorney [George Gascón] He said he is making a recommendation to a judge and is filing paperwork to reduce the sentence from 50 years to life in prison,” the Emmy Award-winning journalist said. “So what does that mean? It means that California has something called a youthful offender law. And that means, if you are under the age of 26 at the time of the crime, you will be eligible for parole. You have parole But there is a chance to be missed.”
Lyle was 21 and Eric was 18 at the time of their parents’ murder.
“So if he can ask the judge to change the sentence from 50 to life, it becomes eligible for parole. And the district attorney said he believes he should be released immediately, he should be eligible for parole immediately, Garcia explained. “The question is what will the judge do? Because the judge can make a decision in real time and say, ‘Okay, I’m reducing the sentence and I’m recommending that they be paroled.’
,true crime newsThe host shared that the case will then go to the parole board.
“They have to have a full hearing,” Garcia added. “And in California, you can have a hearing, which is basically whether they have been made model citizens? Do they show that they have been rehabilitated? Do they show remorse? If they were released would they be a danger to the community? And then there will be recommendations from the victims’ families, which is also Lyle and Eric’s family.”
“Apart from what the district attorney thinks, what might the public think. And then the parole board has 120 days from the time of the hearing to render a decision. Parole is also like a check from the Governor’s office. So Governor Newsom couldn’t do anything, meaning he would get parole or he could veto it, which is unlikely.
Some of the factors at the forefront of this issue include supporters being in the media Kim Kardashian is the champion of siblings and his well-known attorney, Mark Geragos, who also defended Scott Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Laci Peterson and their unborn son Connor in 2002.
Another big factor is the City of Angels itself.
Garcia thought, “This case is very unique to California.” “From the beginning, it’s been California, so LA I mean, it’s Beverly Hills. He is a millionaire. This is an entertainment community. Being rich and privileged is everything in Los Angeles. Big media trial – really big, like being on the forefront of a media trial and then the circumstances surrounding it. How he conducted himself after the murders. One wanted to be in the Ivy League and the other a professional tennis player. It’s the lifestyle of the rich and famous on test.
The news anchor acknowledged, “And so, then you put our extremely progressive, liberal current district attorney, who is facing a very tough re-election, who believes in reform.” “This is what he considers reform. There’s also an avenue that’s currently being played by Mark Geragos. So, their third step here is to go directly to Governor Newsom and ask for clemency. This does not mean that he will absolve them of the crime. This simply means that he will have the power to petition the Governor. And many criminals do this. He’ll have the power to say, ‘Okay, I’m reducing your sentence. You are released immediately.”
Regarding the possibility of this happening? “It’s a possibility,” Garcia said.
“Is that going to happen in this political scenario? That’s the part I don’t know,” the podcast host confessed. “Personally, I think the wisest thing is to let it go through the courts, have a hearing, make it as public as possible – whether it’s a hearing on sentence reduction or habeas corpus and There should be a hearing on new evidence. I want them to be public. I want everyone to hear the arguments from both sides. I think we should get the testimony of the victim’s family, the survivors. I think that will be really important. They should be as transparent as possible.”
The crime reporter notes that Geragos currently has “three plates in the air”. In one of which a demand has been made to bring forward new evidence.
“Now, that’s a completely different way of looking at things because, in that case, they’re basically saying that the new evidence is a letter written by one of the Menendez brothers to their cousin, who is now deceased. Yes, talking about alleged abuse. [A] Handwritten document dating back several months before the murders. So it’s an independent document,” Garcia said. “And also, members of boy band menudoWho says she was sexually abused by Jose Menendez. So that the judge can take a decision. This may be one of those decisions where the judge may say, ‘Okay. I’m freeing you now. ‘We’re dropping the charges’ or say, ‘Let’s have a new trial.’ I don’t think anyone wants a third trial. I don’t think it serves any interest here.”
But he also acknowledged that “there are a lot of deputy DAs who are against his release and their outrage.”
“District Attorney Gascón, when he originally said he was looking at new evidence in the case, he basically said, ‘I’m not going to make a decision until [the] Election. And then last week, boom, it’s like a race with everyone running. This is breaking news. He’s making an announcement and he’s doing it before election day. What happened? What is emergency? What is it that there is no emergency in this case. So, I believe because he is behind in the polls,’Garcia expressed. “I believe it was politically motivated on their part, maybe for one or two reasons. One, to help his election, or two, if he really believes the sentence should be reduced and he wants to do it while he’s still elected and in power, he should do it. Let’s say if he loses the election, he has to do this and he has to do it before his term ends. So there could be one of those two reasons that led to this or maybe both of them.”
If Lyle and Eric Are Given a second chance at life, the journalist knows how she would want the siblings to spend it.
“You know what I want to see them do?” Garcia said. “If they get a second chance in life, I want them to do well in it. I want them to take what they’ve learned and advocate for this cause to others. I want them to make a difference in this world. I think this would be the greatest gift. And the true meaning of rehabilitation is to change yourself and do something good not for yourself but for others. And, if they can dedicate their lives for the well-being of other people, I think that is the best outcome. However, if they decide to pick up their lives where they left off with all that buying of Rolexes and Rolls Royces and partying etc – I hold out hope.
