Menendez Brothers Sentence changed to offer parole

Possibly freeing men who brutally, horrifically murdered their parents?? :rolleyes: Why not? I mean, the law doesn't really mean anything, right? They got 50 yr minimum (when they should have gotten L ...I...F...E), but hey, let's not even make them serve the minimum they were sentenced. No wonder this country is going downhill as far as the criminal element.
 

well the mother knew what was happening and turned a blind eye to it....
If it really happen. They did practice what they were going to say. And according to a documentary their lawyer guided them in how to present their claim of abuse.

Buying shot guns two weeks prior to blowing their parents heads apart they could have just decided to leave & support themselves. Amazing that killing their parents was a solution rather than leaving and supporting themselves.
 
The poor brothers were allegedly sexually abused by their father. And they were so traumatized by him, they shot him. That really doesn't exactly explain why they blew the brains out of their mother. Unless it gets rid of that pesky inheritance thing if she were alive.

From what extended family said the mother not only allowed the abuse she was involved in it.
 
If it really happen. They did practice what they were going to say. And according to a documentary their lawyer guided them in how to present their claim of abuse.

Buying shot guns two weeks prior to blowing their parents heads apart they could have just decided to leave & support themselves. Amazing that killing their parents was a solution rather than leaving and supporting themselves.
Yes, pick up the cars keys and walk out the door, because slaughtering your parents with 12ga. shotgun blasts is just messy.
 
And the extended family did what to help them? Nothing was ever reported until they needed a defense that might work.
i thought about that a lot over the years. They may have had no way to prove it conclusively and Papa Menendez had some sort of hold on them.

Also CPS are not as assertive about investigating upper class families, in the same way that local law enforcement officers tend to be dismissive of 'domestic violence' claims, especially in 'good families'.
 
If it really happen. They did practice what they were going to say. And according to a documentary their lawyer guided them in how to present their claim of abuse.

Buying shot guns two weeks prior to blowing their parents heads apart they could have just decided to leave & support themselves. Amazing that killing their parents was a solution rather than leaving and supporting themselves.
the lawyers didn't guide the extended family and friends to say they'd witnessed occaions where the bys were taken innto a room with the father for extended period... nor did the lawyers teach the family to say that the boys came to them when they were just youngsters complaining about their father's behaviour..
 
Only in
If it really happen. They did practice what they were going to say. And according to a documentary their lawyer guided them in how to present their claim of abuse.

Buying shot guns two weeks prior to blowing their parents heads apart they could have just decided to leave & support themselves. Amazing that killing their parents was a solution rather than leaving and supporting themselves.
Going to the car to get more ammo to finish her off. And now changing their songs 180 degrees. They cannot cash in on the story while applying for parole.
 
the lawyers didn't guide the extended family and friends to say they'd witnessed occaions where the bys were taken innto a room with the father for extended period... nor did the lawyers teach the family to say that the boys came to them when they were just youngsters complaining about their father's behaviour..
Why did the Menendez brothers kill their parents?
Motive has long been at the heart of this case.

During their trials, prosecutors painted the brothers as spoiled rich kids who killed their wealthy parents in their Beverly Hills mansion so they could access a $14m (£10.7m) fortune.

They argued the duo methodically bought shotguns and fatally shot their parents a total of 13 times as the couple watched TV. They then went gambling, to parties and on shopping sprees, buying things like Rolex watches.

Who is the Menendez family, at centre of US murder case?
It was ultimately a confession to a psychologist that helped lead to their arrest when the girlfriend of their doctor reported it to authorities.

The brothers ultimately admitted to the killings - but argued they acted out of self-defence after years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

They told the court they feared their parents would kill them if they didn’t act first. Lyle and Erik testified they confronted their parents about the sexual abuse and things had become combative in their household and they believed their parents were planning to kill them.

Family members testified about the abuse they witnessed - but none said they saw sexual abuse first-hand.


Menendez brothers: Three possible paths to freedom

From the documentary the family testified that the father was mean And belittled them.
 
Some things to think about when thinking that " Oh it was the $$, they could have just left."

1) Sexual abuse of male children is WAY under reported because of societal attitudes. And those attitudes can intensify mix of negative emotions that ANY abuse survivor feels.

2) Two relatively common tactics of familial abusers, especially with young victims, are:
A) to drum into the victim that "no-one will believe you."
and
B) "You can't escape me, I will track you down!!!"

3) Even siblings who experience abuse at hands of same abuser may react differently. So even if you're a survivor you can't presume to know how someone else processes, copes, reacts to abuse, particularly prolonged abuse.

4) Some survivors become abusers, some become protectors, rescuers, and some have been abused and gaslighted about it so long they can't think rationally any more. They just know they won't feel safe as long their abuser exists.

I have seen first hand the life long damage abuse can cause (my 3 half sisters and at least two of my husbands among others). i would do everything i could to facilitate any victim of any kind of abuse getting away not just safely but without doing physical damage to directly to their abuser. But i'm not going to presume they can think clearly about the best solution without some help.
 
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I don't condone the abuse, nor standing by and allowing it. But I don't think that justifies being murdered by their sons, who were the self-appointed judge, jury and executioners.
well that's been the argument to imprison them... the point now is, surely they've done their time.. 36 years surely is enough. They've been model prisoners.... give them now a chance to live a normal life as men like any child should have had....

I don't believe any person on the outside is at risk from either of the brothers...

However I am concerned that it's sending a message to other abused children, to accept their fate, or if they retaliate they will be locked up for life...
 
I continue to be astonished by some of the mean attitudes expressed in some of these posts. Maybe it's bc I used to work at a battered women's shelter, I dunno, but I just cannot fathom peo[;e not believing or empathizing with these victims.
equally..as an seriousy abused child... I am the same..astonished that people just refuse to believe that these things happen and to what extent...
 
Of course they admitted wrongdoing and expressed remorse!
At the hearing, they expressed remorse for killing their parents during the hearing, and took full responsibility for their actions, which Hochman previously demanded as a condition of their resentencing. linky
The judge demanded it if they wanted to have a snowball's chance in hades, they had to do as was said. {side note- why isn't anyone hollering about the judge vitimizing them by forcing them to admit something they have denied all along?}

These self proclaimed 'victims'...

claimed that unknown intruders were responsible for the murders, framing it as a potential mob killing. Police initially investigated this claim, but grew suspicious due to the brothers' spending and their hiring of a computer expert to delete their father's recently updated will. one link

They were no angels
In 1988, Lyle and Erik committed multiple burglaries in their neighborhood, stealing more than $100,000 in cash and jewelry, prompting José to move to Beverly Hills.[

Lyle attended Princeton University, where he was placed on academic probation for poor grades and eventually suspended for plagiarism.[19][20] He lived in the Gauss Hall dormitory, where he threw out his roommates' belongings as he did not wish to share a room, left sinks overflowing causing damage, and repainted his room in violation of university rules.
These 'boys' had enough wits about them to get help, leave home or something. Instead they murdered their parents.
 
Of course they admitted wrongdoing and expressed remorse!

The judge demanded it if they wanted to have a snowball's chance in hades, they had to do as was said. {side note- why isn't anyone hollering about the judge vitimizing them by forcing them to admit something they have denied all along?}

These self proclaimed 'victims'...



They were no angels



These 'boys' had enough wits about them to get help, leave home or something. Instead they murdered their parents.
 
I think I've watched every possible documentary on the Menendez brothers and I'll admit I'm conflicted. They did kill their parents with a shotgun and lie about it, then go shopping for expensive watches, cars, etc. so there's that. They treated their parents' death like a celebration.

By the same token, their parents did seem quite self-absorbed and sexual abuse against young men wasn't a "thing" when they were sentenced so they could have indeed been driven to it. The father seemed like domineering monster.

The point with prison sentences should be to rehabilitate criminals. If they have truly been rehabilitated... and that's not up for me to decide... I'm fine with letting them go.
 

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