Thirty-five years after Erik and Lyle Menendez shot their parents to death in 1989, they are now potentially being granted a resentencing due to renewed media attention and public interest in true crime content. The Menendez brothers were convicted in a retrial after their first trial ended with a deadlocked jury, with their allegations of abuse being excluded from evidence. The recent surge in support for the brothers came following the release of the Netflix documentary “The Menendez Brothers” earlier this year.
In the world of true crime, media attention has had significant impacts on real cases. The podcast “Serial” led to Adnan Syed having his conviction overturned in 2022, only to have it reinstated later on due to legal complications. The documentary “The Jinx” had an opposite effect, with Robert Durst ultimately being convicted of murder. Netflix’s “Making a Murderer” similarly raised concerns about the legitimacy of Brandon Dassey’s conviction, leading to brief hopes for his release before the Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
In the case of the Menendez brothers, the original trial featured allegations of horrific abuse by their parents, which were largely excluded from their retrial. Renewed attention to their case, driven by streaming services and social media, is now leading to calls for their sentence to be reconsidered, with Kim Kardashian among those advocating for a reassessment of their punishment. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has announced that he will recommend a resentencing based on new evidence of alleged abuse.
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