Justice or Misjudgment for the Menendez Brothers

By: L. Gurney

The closure of the Mendendez Brothers case was extremely controversial in the 1990s and still to this day, as two opposing opinions on whether their crime was justified or not continues to fuel public debate.
In the summer of 1989, the Menendez brothers burst into their family's den, shooting both their parents – Jose and Kitty Menendez - in their home in Beverly Hills. At first, the brothers came out to the public claiming it had been the Mafia who had shot their parents, due to some business their father had been up to. However, shortly after, Erik Menendez came clean to the brother's psychologist – Dr. Jerome Ozeil – telling him everything that had happened, their lie was short-lived, coming to an end as Dr. Ozeil exposed the brother's crime. On March 1990, the brothers were arrested, and three years later, what seemed like an endless trial began…
The trial revealed the dark secrets of what was going on in the Menendez household, such as abuse and other horrible things. Supporters of the brothers claim they are victims who suffered abuse their entire lives, and that their action although extreme was a traumatic response from believing that their parents were going to kill them. However, the trial also illustrated a cold and stereotypical side of the brothers; one where they were spoiled, rich, greedy boys who killed their parents for the family fortune.
Despite this, it is important to keep in mind that in those days, it was practically impossible to believe that 2 boys had been abused their whole lives by their father – who was very successful and wealthy at that time. Having said that, alongside with the lack of concrete proof showing the brothers had been abused, there was a lot of hesitation from the public in believing the story the brothers and the defense were telling. But it wasn’t all looking bad for the brothers, they had gained millions of peoples empathy and sympathy, and even had psychologists and family members supporting and testifying for them.
In the first trial, the judges didn’t come to a conclusion, and therefore decided to hold a re-trial. However, unfortunately for the brothers, the defense led by Lesli Abramson, could not defend themselves with the abuse allegations.
After another long trial, the prosecutions closing statements argued – with evidence supporting their claim - that the Menendez brothers killed their parents in cold blood for financial gain and that their crime was premeditated and not the result of long-term abuse. While the defense closed the trial stating that the brothers had been sexually and physically abused by their father since they were 6 years old, and that the murder was a the result of years of trauma and fear; portraying a story that was one of retaliation and survival.
Ultimately, after the retrial, the Menendez brothers were accused of second-degree murder, with both being sentenced life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Recently, new evidence has been released which proves that Jose Menendez had in fact abused Erik and Lyle Menendez. Was that really the closing statement of the Menendez brothers case? Or was it just the beginning? What do you think will happen next?