L.A. County district attorney shares evidence in Menendez brothers case as he mulls their sentence

The Los Angeles district attorney has released new evidence in the Lyle and Erik Menendez case that could potentially lead to a review of their life sentences for murder.

The Los Angeles district attorney has released new evidence in the Lyle and Erik Menendez case that could potentially lead to a review of their life sentences for murder.

After their first widely publicized trial ended in a mistrial, a jury convicted the Menendez brothers of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, following a second trial in 1996.

While they never denied killing their parents, the brothers claimed they acted in self-defence and were lifelong victims of sexual abuse by their father. During the second trial, prosecutors argued the “abuse didn’t happen” and the judge overseeing the case did not allow much of the defence’s evidence of abuse to be presented, according to the brothers’ attorneys.

In July 1996, both men were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Now, more than 35 years after the murders, LA District Attorney George Gascón has publicly posted a screenshot of a letter the brothers’ attorneys have argued corroborates Erik’s allegations he was sexually abused by his father.

On Sunday, Gascón shared an image of the handwritten, undated letter in a post on his social media platforms. The letter was written by Erik Menendez and alludes to the abuse. As of Tuesday, the post was no longer up on Gascón’s Instagram page.

“I’ve been trying to avoid dad. Its still happening Andy but its worse for me now,” the letter states. “I never know when its going to happen and its driving me crazy. Every night I stay up thinking he might come in.”