Erik Menendez Has a 'Serious Medical Condition' — and Should Be Sprung from Jail Immediately: Lawyer
An attorney for the Menendez brothers, who were convicted in the infamous 1989 murders of their parents, says Erik is suffering from a "serious" medical condition and should be released from prison immediately.
In an interview with TMZ's Harvey Levin published on Tuesday, July 22, attorney Mark Geragos did not specify Erik's condition but noted he is getting treatment behind bars at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, Calif. It's unclear if Erik's condition is life-threatening.
The news comes ahead of a parole board hearing for Erik, 54, and his brother, Lyle, 57, on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22. The brothers were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison on May 13, making them eligible for parole.
The siblings were previously sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, inside the den of their Beverly Hills home on Aug. 20, 1989.
VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1992.
Erik, then 18, and Lyle, then 21, claimed that the murders came after their father — the chief operating officer of RCA Records — sexually abused them for years and their mother, a former pageant queen, ignored the abuse. They have maintained that they feared for their lives and that Jose had threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the sexual abuse.
ADVERTISEMENT
Meanwhile, prosecutors said the two brothers' motive was greed and cited their lavish spending spree after the slayings.
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom could potentially seek to grant the brothers clemency and make his decision at any time, though he has said he will wait until after their final parole beard hearing to decide.
Newsom previously requested the parole board conduct a comprehensive risk assessment investigation into whether the brothers could pose a risk to public safety should they be released.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
After he resentenced the brothers, Judge Michael Jesic said he'd given the matter "long thought," acknowledging they committed an "absolutely horrific crime, and there's no way around it." But he said he was moved by the brothers' behavior behind bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Life without parole gives an inmate no hope, no reason to do anything good. And I give them a lot of credit. It's remarkable what they did when they had no hope of getting out," Jesic said.
The Menendez brothers made a virtual video appearance at the hearing and took 'full responsibility' for the murders, Fox News reported.
Read the original article on People
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Erik Menendez needed surgery following complications from kidney stones, daughter says
Erik Menendez needed surgery after complications from kidney stones, requiring his hospitalization just weeks before he's scheduled to appear for a parole hearing alongside his brother in the 1989 murders of their parents. His daughter, Talia, posted to social media Wednesday night that he had a second surgery "due to complications with both kidneys having multiple large kidney stones." She wrote in the Instagram story that he needs a third surgery. "Because Erik is in prison, there are often complications and delays with medical care, so this continues to be a very stressful time for us as you all can imagine," she wrote. "He is currently in pain and feeling nauseous, but is recovering." Attorney Mark Geragos said on Tuesday that Menendez had been diagnosed with a "serious medical condition" but did not provide additional details. Erik Menendez, 54, and his older brother, Lyle Menendez, 57, were originally sentenced to life in prison for the murder of their parents. But the men were resentenced to 50 years to life after a judge determined they did not pose an 'unreasonable risk' if they were released. This made the Menendez brothers immediately eligible for parole. Supporters have pushed for the men to be released, saying the boys experienced abuse at the hands of Kitty and José Menendez. The brothers contended the shotgun killings were done in self-defense, with Lyle saying he confronted their father over the abuse of his younger brother. Prosecutors accused the brothers of being motivated by financial gain and said the murders were committed in cold blood. Erik Menendez expressed remorse during a May 13 resentencing hearing, where he described his crimes as 'cruel and vicious' and said he was 'directly responsible for it all.' "My actions were criminal, selfish, cruel and cowardly," he said. His older brother similarly took accountability for his past and said at the hearing that he was "deeply ashamed." Their parole suitability hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20 and 21. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
15 hours ago
- New York Times
‘I Want to Clear My Name': Deported Migrant Takes First Step to Sue the U.S.
A Venezuelan migrant took the first step on Thursday toward suing the United States for what he says was his wrongful detention and removal to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, 27, spent four months in the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, where he said he was beaten and abused. He filed an administrative claim on Thursday with the Homeland Security Department, accusing U.S. immigration agencies of removing him without due process. It is the first such claim to be filed by one of the 252 Venezuelan men who were expelled and sent to El Salvador in March, his lawyers said, and is a necessary step before taking legal action against the U.S. government in federal court. Mr. Rengel, who is seeking $1.3 million in damages, was released last week as part of a large-scale prisoner swap between Venezuela and the United States. He is now living in Venezuela. 'I want to clear my name,' he said in a phone interview late Wednesday from his home in the state of Miranda. 'I am not a bad person.' The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment on Mr. Rengel's claim. The detention of Venezuelan men in El Salvador in March was one of the first high-profile efforts to fulfill President Trump's campaign promise of mass deportations. His administration has accused the migrants of belonging to a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, and his administration has used the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely invoked wartime law, to justify capturing and removing many of the men to El Salvador. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Bloomberg
15 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Ally Sues Powell Demanding FOMC Meeting Public Access
An investment firm headed by a supporter of President Donald Trump sued Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and other Fed officials demanding public access to monetary policy meetings. James Fishback's Azoria Capital said in a suit filed Thursday that the decades-old practice of holding Federal Open Market Committee meetings behind closed doors violates government transparency laws. The fund asked a federal court in Washington to require the Fed to open its July 29-30 meeting.
