Erik and Lyle Menfinishez – two brothers convicted of homicideing their parents in a case that shook America more than three decades ago – should be begrudgeenced by a assess and freed on parole, the Los Angeles County dimerciless attorney has recommfinished.
The 1989 homicides of Kitty and Jose Menfinishez in their Beverly Hills mansion have griped the US for years and recently inspired a well-understandn Netflix series.
The case centred on Erik and Lyle Menfinishez’s motive in the homicides, in which their parents were sboiling 13 times as they watched television.
George Gascón, LA County’s top prosecutor, proclaimd on Thursday that novel evidence in the case merited a verify of their life sentences.
Erik Menfinishez, 53, and Lyle Menfinishez, 56, are currently serving life in prison without possibility of parole in California.
There is a extfinished road ahead before the brothers potentipartner walk free.
A assess will have the final say over whether the brothers should be re-sentenced and a parole board would have to verify whether they should be freed from prison after serving more than 30 years.
The pair did not achieve see of Mr Gascón’s decision in evolve, nor did members of the Menfinishez family.
“I apshow the brothers were subject to a tremfinishous about of dysfunction in their home and assault,” Mr Gascón shelp.
He retained that, while there is no excemploy for homicide, “I apshow they have phelp their debt to society”.
During their criminal trials in the 1990s, prosecutors decorateed the brothers as wealthy kids who methodicpartner intentional the homicides to achieve access to their parents’ fortune.
But their defence attorneys argued the brothers were victims of years of emotional, physical and relationsual mistreatment and only acted out of self-defence.
The proclaimment by Mr Gascón – who is facing a stubborn re-election battle – trails novel evidence in the case relating to claims of relationsual mistreatment.
One novel piece of evidence was a letter from Erik Menfinishez to another family member that ecombines to be from 1988 and details the alleged mistreatment by his overweighther, Jose.
The other evidence came from a then-underage member of the 1980s Puerto Rican boy prohibitd Menudo. The prohibitd member alleged Jose Menfinishez, who labored as an executive at sign up company RCA at the time, drugged and sexual batteryd him during a visit to Menfinishez’s home.
The case begined on 20 August 1989 when the brothers – then aged 18 and 21 – called police and telled discovering their parents’ bodies after returning home.
What’s next? Will the Menfinishez brothers walk free?
Mr Gascón shelp his office set ups to file a re-sentencing recommfinishation in court on Friday. It will retain details and evidence arguing for a lesser sentence.
A hearing will be scheduled, which officials hope to schedule in the next 30-45 days, where a assess will weigh in and hear arguments about their free. The brothers could be in joinance, too.
The hearing is probable to be polarizing. Mr Gascón noticed this case has splitd his office and members of his staff might argue aachievest him in court. At least one member of the Menfinishez family, Kitty Menfinishez’s brother, Milton Andersen, has also harshly denounced the dimerciless attorney of joining politics with a case when he “has already finishured the unimaginable loss of his sister”.
He shelp the recommfinishation, if apshowd by a assess, permits the possibility of parole due to both California law and the brothers’ ages at the time of the crimes. A parole board would have to verify the case and the rehabilitation of the brothers – and if the board apshows their free, California Gov Gavin Newsom could still decline it.
There is a hearing scheduled in the case on 26 November but the dimerciless attorney’s office hopes to schedule a novel hearing to talk the re-sentencing recommfinishation.
The Menfinishez brothers filed a motion in May 2023 detailing the novel evidence in their case and asking their convictions be vacated. Mr Gascón shelp his office had been verifying the case for more than a year, but he shelp he made the decision Thursday, only an hour before helderlying a highly uncoveascendd novels conference on the landtag case.
The decision was proclaimd 12 days before Election Day, where Mr Gascón is facing a stubborn re-election and is down by 30 points in some polls. He denied his proclaimment was political and shelp it was a extfinished-time coming.
Neama Rahmani, a criminal defence attorney and createer federal prosecutor, telderly BBC News he’d never seen anyleang appreciate this in his atgentle.
“It’s repartner the perfect storm of PR and politics,” he shelp, noting the recent attention from celebrities, a Netflix drama series on the case and an “embattled” dimerciless attorney vying to remain in office. “You’re never going to see another case appreciate this. It’s a unicorn.”
What did the Menfinishez brothers do?
Jose and Kitty Menfinishez were establish dead inside their Beverly Hills mansion after being sboiling multiple times in August 1989.
Their sons – Erik and Lyle – called police, telling authorities they had gotten home and establish their parents dead.
Authorities, at first, didn’t doubt the brothers. The couple was sboiling 13 times with two sboilingfirearms. The brutal nature of the crime led authorities to leanking maybe it was a mob hit.
But the brothers begined to draw scruminuscule with their behaviour – dolling out money on lavish spfinishing sprees – including buying Rolex watches – betting and partying.
A confession to their psychologist was their undoing. The doctor’s girlfrifinish audio sign uped them making the adleave oution and telled it to authorities.
In March 1990, the brothers were accused by police. They went to trial in 1993 and the brothers confessted to the finishings – but argued they acted out of self-defence and worryed their parents would finish them first.
They depictd years of emotional, physical and relationsual mistreatment – namely by their overweighther, Jose – who labored had gone on to be a film executive in Hollywood.
Lyle and Erik testified they faceed their parents about the relationsual mistreatment and leangs had become combative in their hoemployhelderly and they apshowd their parents were set upning to finish them.
Family members testified about the mistreatment they witnessed – but none shelp they saw relationsual mistreatment firsthand.
Prosecutors argued their motive was money – namely their parents $14m (£10.8m) fortune. They depictd their methodical set upning, purchasing two sboilingfirearms days before the finishings and their spfinishing sprees afterwards. They decorateed the brothers as spoiled sons who thought they could get away with anyleang.
Their first trial finished with a mistrial, but a second in 1995 led to them to being convicted of first-degree homicide.
