LOS ANGELES: A Los Angeles judge has rejected the Menendez brothers’ request for a new trial in their high-profile parents’ murder case.
Lyle and Erik Menendez have spent over thirty years in prison for shooting their parents at the family’s Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.
Judge William C. Ryan ruled that newly presented evidence did not justify overturning their original murder convictions.
The brothers had argued that recently uncovered evidence about alleged sexual abuse by their father warranted a new trial.
The judge found this evidence did not add to abuse allegations already considered by the original jury.
He stated the new evidence did not demonstrate the brothers experienced fear of imminent peril necessary for self-defense claims.
Prosecutors in the original trial argued the killings were a calculated attempt to inherit the family fortune.
The Menendez brothers maintain the murders followed years of abuse, including alleged sexual abuse by their father.
New evidence included a letter allegedly written by Erik detailing abuse and allegations against Jose Menendez by another man.
The brothers can appeal Monday’s ruling despite this latest legal setback.
Their original life sentences without parole were reduced to fifty-year terms in May.
They will become eligible to apply for parole again in three years.
California Governor Gavin Newsom represents their only potential avenue for earlier release through clemency.
This ruling follows their parole denial last month in their ongoing campaign for freedom.
Their case gained renewed public attention through a recent Netflix dramatization. – AFP