(NewsNation) — Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of murder in 1996, but their attorneys remain confident that new evidence warrants another trial.
As they await a judge’s decision, attorneys Mark Geragos and Cliff Gardner argue the brothers should have been convicted of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder. If they had been, they would be free men by now.
In May of 2023, Erik, 52, and Lyle Menendez, 55, requested the court vacate their convictions, citing evidence backing their claim that their father was sexually abusing them.
Included in that is a 1988 letter written by Lyle Menendez, which mentions abuse. That letter predates the killing.
Geragos spoke with NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield about the “ridicule” the brothers faced during that time and says the outcome would have been different if they were tried today.
“The ridicule … whether it was Saturday Night Live, which is usually a pretty good reflection of what’s going on in the culture. … Can you imagine them ever doing that? If these were the Menendez sisters, or if these were women, and they faced that kind of ridicule, they’d be canceled,” Geragos said on “Banfield.”
The allegations came in the wake of an explosive documentary airing on Peacock titled “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.” The brothers were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, and sentenced to life in prison.