(NewsNation) — Former Mafia boss Mike Franzese spent 11 months in prison with Lyle and Erik Menendez in 1993.
“I spoke to them every day,” Franzese said exclusively on “Banfield.” “The dynamic between the two, they were very close. Lyle seemed to be more in control. Erik was more to himself and more troubled.” Franzese said the brothers asked him for advice at times and that they got very close.
After spending time with the brothers, Franzese believes “they were 100% abused.”
The Menendez brothers were convicted of murdering their father and mother in August 1989. They said they acted in self-defense, citing years of abuse.
Franzese said Lyle partially opened up to him about the abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of his father.
Lyle Menendez “got a vengeance in his eyes when he talked about his dad. There was some deep, dark stuff going on there. I knew it was more than just getting beat,” Franzese said.
After an alleged escape attempt, the brothers were separated, and Erik was moved to another unit. Franzese said the brothers weren’t liked very well in prison and that other inmates would call them “parent killers.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is currently reviewing the convictions of the Menendez brothers, who’ve been imprisoned since their 1996 conviction.
“We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing the information,” DA George Gascón told reporters.
He said his office has a copy of a letter alleged to be from a cousin of the Menendez brothers accusing their father of molesting him. A former member of the band Menudo has also written a letter accusing Jose Menendez of molesting him.