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Menendez brothers receive support for clemency from Los Angeles County DA George Gascón
Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have spent more than 30 years behind bars for the 1989 murder of their parents, have received support from Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in their bid for clemency.
Attorneys for the brothers submitted a request for clemency, which could result in their immediate release, to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 28. Gascón has sent letters of support to the governor after announcing last week he is recommending their resentencing.
“I strongly support clemency for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving sentences of life without possibility of parole. They have respectively served 34 years and have continued their educations and worked to create new programs to support the rehabilitation of fellow inmates,” Gascón said in a statement Wednesday.
In a statement provided to CBS News Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office said that “pending clemency applications are confidential and we’re not able to discuss individual cases.”
A court hearing for their resentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 11 at the Van Nuys West Courthouse.
The case that drew national headlines as it first unfolded in the early 1990s has gained renewed attention in recent weeks, some calling for the Menendezes’ release, including several of their family members. Meanwhile, at least one of their relatives strongly opposes the possibility, filing an amicus brief in a bid to block it.
The two brothers were convicted of fatally shooting their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, as the couple sat on a couch inside their Beverly Hills home on the evening of Aug. 20, 1989. Prosecutors argued greed was the motivation behind the killings, while Lyle and Erik said they killed them in self-defense, saying they feared for their lives and had endured years of sexual abuse through their childhoods.
After Gascón announced last week he was recommending resentencing, the Beverly Hills Police Department released a statement saying the DA’s office did not reach out to them before the decision was announced. The police force investigated the case back in the fall of 1989, leading to the brothers’ arrest months later, and their first-degree murder convictions after a second trial.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images
“As the investigating agency for the case, the BHPD presented relevant facts and evidence to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which resulted in the filing of criminal charges at that time,” the law enforcement agency said in the statement.
Last year, the brothers’ attorneys filed a habeas petition calling for a review of potential new evidence in the case, including a letter Erik allegedly wrote to a cousin apparently referencing allegations of abuse by his father as well as a sworn declaration by a former member of boy band Menudo, Roy Rosselló, alleging Jose Menendez raped him in the 1980s.
Some have called for the brothers’ release in light of the allegations they have made against their father, reflecting cultural and generational shifts in conversations around abuse.
“The world was not ready to believe that boys could be raped or that young men could be victims of sexual violence,” their aunt and sister of their mother Kitty, Joan VanderMolen, told reporters as she pleaded for their release earlier this month. “Today we know better. We know that abuse has long-lasting effects and victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand.”
Meanwhile, their uncle, Milton Andersen, brother of Kitty, has strongly opposed allowing them to be freed from prison. His attorney, Kathy Cady, released a statement on his behalf following the DA’s resentencing decision, saying Erik and Lyle “meticulously planned and executed the cold-blooded murders of both their parents.”
The night sky in Los Angeles lit up with fireworks after the Dodgers captured their latest World Series title against their historically bitter rival, the New York Yankees.
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Downtown LA streets closed
“We know you want to celebrate the Dodgers World Series win, but please do not head to the Downtown LA area,” the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted before announcing a citywide tactical alert. “There are many streets closed in the Downtown LA area and traffic will be heavily impacted. Please celebrate responsibly.”
Police also closed the 6th Street Bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic from Mateo Street and Boyle Street.
Officers showed up in riot gear near downtown Los Angeles after a large group of Dodgers fans took over some of the streets closed near Crypto.com Arena.
“Figueroa is closed between Olympic and Pico. Surrounding streets around LA Live have also been closed to all vehicle traffic,” the department tweeted.
Police issued a dispersal order at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street near the stadium. Officers began to move the crowd away from LA Live after fireworks exploded near them. After pushing the celebration out of the area, officers mounted on horses stayed around the arena and patrolled the area.
A dispersal order has been issued at Olympic Blvd and Figueroa due to an unlawful assembly. Leave the area immediately westbound on Olympic Blvd and follow all officers orders.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) October 31, 2024
After getting kicked out of LA Live, the celebrations continued nearby with hundreds of people filling the intersection of 9th and Flower Streets. They continued to block traffic and light fireworks as officers gathered nearby.
Fans gather at Dodger Stadium
Outside of Dodger Stadium, fans gathered next to the entrance and blocked the street while also lighting some fireworks. It caused the LAPD to issue another dispersal order at Sunset and Vin Scully because of the “unlawful assembly.”
Crowds take to the streets in East LA
Elsewhere, fans in East LA also took to the streets to celebrate with fireworks shows as traffic tried to force their way past the revelers. The crowds continued to grow, blocking all lanes of Whittier Boulevard near Atlantic Boulevard.
Nearly an hour later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declared an unlawful assembly and started to disperse the crowd.
As deputies moved closer to the gathering, the celebrations morphed into a street takeover with a car doing donuts around a group of fans near the historic Whittier Boulevard sign.
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Dodgers’ historic World Series comeback against the Yankees brings title back to Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the 2024 World Series Champions after staging a stellar come-from-behind victory on Wednesday evening in the Bronx. The Boys in Blue swatted away a five-run deficit to defeat their bitter, longtime rivals in the New York Yankees and earn their eighth championship in franchise history.
A bizarre fifth inning saw the Dodgers storm back and score five runs, turning the tide of the series that seemed to have suddenly shifted in New York’s favor after their 11-4 victory in Game 4.
Unlike the high-powered offense that got them to this point, the Dodgers relied on small ball to eke out Wednesday night’s win, using several sacrifice flies and crucial base running to slowly claw their way back, and eventually climb ahead late in the game.
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty was flat out of the gate, allowing back-to-back homers to Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm in the first inning and an RBI single to Alex Verdugo in the second, which led to him getting the early hook.
The Yankees tacked on another run in the bottom of the third when Giancarlo Stanton crushed an opposite-field homer off of reliever Ryan Brasier.
Despite holding a 5-0 lead, the Yankees faltered in the fifth inning, allowing the Dodgers to tie the game after a couple of fielding blunders, a two-run single from Freddie Freeman and a two-run double off the bat of Teoscar Hernández.
With Flaherty out of the game after just four outs, the Dodgers were forced to undergo their second-straight bullpen game, which saw manager Dave Roberts throw six arms in relief.
Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
With the game knotted, Stanton drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring Juan Soto from third base.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole nearly went seven innings, and despite the rough fifth inning, walked off the field to a standing ovation from the fans in New York.
In the top of the eighth with a one-run lead, Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle loaded the bases without securing an out, making way for Luke Weaver, who has been incredible in October. He was able to limit the damage, but still allowed both the tying and go-ahead runs to score on sacrifice flies.
Lux first roped a sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game and make way for Shohei Ohtani in a situation that seemed to be the makings of a Hollywood film. However, in a bizarre turn of events he made his way to first base after just two pitches on catcher’s interference from New York backstop Austin Wells.
Outside of that at-bat, Ohtani was silent again, going 0-for-four with a strikeout.
With the bases once again juiced, star outfielder Mookie Betts hit his own sacrifice fly to drive in the go-ahead run, giving the Boys in Blue a 7-6 lead.
Roberts left right-handed reliever Blake Treinen in the game for 41 pitches, in which he was able to get an incredible seven outs, sending the game into the ninth inning.
Though he’s traditionally a starter, Roberts called on Walker Buehler in the bottom of the ninth inning to face the Yankees lineup and he did just that, mowing down the bottom three batters and locking up the title.