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Menendez Brothers Decision to Be Announced by End of the Week, Says D.A. | TMZ Live
TMZ
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10/23/2024
The Menendez brothers case is set to take a dramatic turn -- with fresh evidence uncovered, a major decision's just around the corner ... and it could even mean a shot at their freedom.
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00:00
You don't have a crystal ball, but I've been a lawyer for a long time
00:04
Hmm, and I think the Menendez brothers are going to be free men
00:09
Very soon, and I think the decision is gonna come down this week that and here's my prediction
00:16
Well, they the George Gascon the Los Angeles County District Attorney has said that the decision will be made by the end of this week
00:23
So didn't you don't need the crystal ball for that?
00:25
But what if you had the crystal ball
00:27
What do you think his decision is that that the DA is going to go to the judge or a judge?
00:34
And say that we believe that Eric and Lyle were sexually molested
00:40
There are extenuating circumstances
00:42
they did not allow that evidence in the second trial even though it was the same judge as the first trial when it was admitted and
00:49
Given all those circumstances
00:51
We respectfully ask your honor that you reduce the conviction to a voluntary manslaughter conviction
00:59
Which has a maximum sentence of 11 years they have served 35
01:04
So they should be free men instantly
01:07
and I think that is what is going to happen if he makes if if that is the decision and I
01:12
Agree with you that I think that is gonna be what he decides. He goes to the judge
01:17
What what's the timeline here? I mean, we're essentially saying is it possible that they are out before
01:23
The end of next week before Halloween. I don't know
01:25
Well, you know the timing could be that they immediately go to a judge
01:29
I don't know whether they're gonna set this for a hearing they may require
01:33
That some of the victims meaning the relatives right some of whom do not want them out
01:40
And some have an opportunity some of them have an opportunity to address court. I don't know
01:44
so I'm not sure what the timeline is going to be but I think it's going to be accelerated and I think that is
01:50
what's going to happen and
01:52
You know George Gascon was on CNN this morning
01:55
And I think the way he laid this out and talked about the conflict within his office is really interesting
02:01
There is actually two different camps in my office. I have a group of people
02:06
Including some that were involved in the original trial
02:09
That are adamant that they should spend the rest of their life in prison and that they were not molested
02:14
I have other people in the office that believe actually that they probably were molested and that they deserve to prove to have some relief
02:20
I plan to have a decision by the end of this week, which is what I promised
02:26
When I was we started getting a lot of inquiries
02:28
We have been looking at this cases for over a year. By the way, we had a court time late November on the habeas
02:35
But given the public attention to this case
02:38
I've decided to to try to come with a decision earlier than that and I will you'll look Harvey
02:44
I think you're right, even though he's talking about the split in his office
02:46
I think all indications are pointing to that
02:48
He will find a way to free them in this manslaughter possible way that you that you outlined because why else have these press conferences?
02:55
Why else we visit the case? This was an old case
02:57
He could have just let them remain in prison and serving their sentence
03:01
It seems like something will change which by the way, I think would be a gross miscarriage of justice
03:05
I think this was premeditated murder. I think it has nothing to do with manslaughter
03:09
The fact that they were molested potentially some people think that was concocted doesn't really factor in I think that
03:16
It did with the first jury because there were jurors in the first case where the evidence was presented who didn't believe that it should
03:24
Be voluntary manslaughter. There was a split in the split tended to be men versus women
03:29
women
03:31
Going for voluntary manslaughter. So that issue did come up. We had I'm sorry was it Alan Abramson?
03:37
I believe was the LA Times
03:39
You weren't here last week
03:40
But the LA Times reporter who covered both trials was here and pointed this out that there was an appeals court decision
03:45
All right
03:46
That said that none of that evidence matters the evidence about them being molested doesn't matter because it doesn't address
03:53
The fact that there was no immediate threat to them when they opened fire was there was absolutely no immediate threat
04:00
There was all there was that subject and that was an appeals court decision
04:04
That was an appeals court decision and they did say there was no immediate threat and that's true
04:07
so how do you would because what juries can still do is they can look at the person and
04:13
If you look at Eric's letter
04:16
Eric sent a letter to his cousin a couple of months before
04:20
Saying that it was still going on that that was one of the reasons Eric couldn't go to another school where he wasn't living
04:27
At home that he was still getting molested
04:31
Shortly before the murders and that he was in real fear now that doesn't excuse what happened
04:37
But the issue is can a jury
04:39
But can a jury decide this and the fact is that some of them didn't decide that I get that first right now
04:45
We were then it was appropriately excluded, but we're in evidence
04:53
Because it wasn't relevant or here's a minute it distracted the jury and made them feel
04:57
Emotionally connected to the Menendez brothers when in fact imperfect self-defense when there's no immediate threat of harm in an objective
05:03
Well, that's why it's no basis. And that's why it's an imperfect work. Hold on
05:07
Are you aware that in the first trial the judge who allowed it in was Stanley Weisberg? You're aware of that, right?
05:14
I am aware. Do you know who the second judge was who said well, I'm not gonna let it in this time
05:19
I don't remember his name trick question. It was Stanley. Why are you fell?
05:23
Was the same judge fell for it the judge
05:27
I'm sorry that a lot of people a lot of people think the judge just one of them convicted changed a bunch of rulings and
05:35
There was no explanation for it
05:37
So why does a judge get to decide now instead of a jury?
05:41
Because you want that if you think that it should be voluntary manslaughter. It seems like the appropriate thing
05:45
I'll give you have a another trial. Let a jury decide. I'll give you an answer a lot of the witnesses
05:50
Died I got that and a lot of memories have faded and a judge can say you know
05:56
What now that we know about the fact that he allegedly more that Jose allegedly?
06:01
molested a member of Minuto that you have this letter cousin that the judge
06:06
flip-flopped without
06:07
Explanation in the interest of justice given the fact that witnesses are dead memories are faded rulings
06:14
There was an appeals court decision where all
06:19
Justice Harvey the
06:21
There was an appeal. This is what I can't get past
06:23
There was an appeals court decision where all of that was mentioned right and the appeals court said have you ever heard of that?
06:28
Have you ever heard of cold cases where cold cases turn up new evidence?
06:32
And then all of a sudden judges can make decisions the new evidence is Minuto
06:38
The new evidence is the letter and that may be enough now
06:42
I don't know that a judge is gonna do it
06:44
I think he's gonna do it
06:45
But actually we don't know who the judge is gonna be right and it may be a judge
06:49
Who's sympathetic and it may be a judge weird that you had?
06:52
I don't know you had a jury's decision and now it becomes it happens all the time. It's happened all the time
06:57
Hi, it's Sarah from the UK. The Mendez case is complex
07:02
However, I think now is the right time for this to be ed
07:06
Especially with the recent documentaries people know more than ever about this case
07:10
Well, I mean it shouldn't be based on the you know, the Ryan Murphy docu the Ryan Murphy show series, right
07:17
It's not really a docu series right scripted series, but you know, he talked about public attention
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