What happened?
A Los Angeles judge has rejected Erik and Lyle Menendez’s habeas corpus petition, shutting down their latest attempt at freedom. The ruling comes just weeks after both brothers were denied parole, marking yet another setback after more than three decades behind bars.
The brothers’ argument
The Menendez defense team presented two pieces of “new evidence”:
- A 1988 letter Erik wrote to his cousin alleging sexual abuse by their father, Jose Menendez.
- Testimony from former Menudo member Roy Rossello, who claimed in a 2023 docuseries that Jose Menendez also abused him.
Defense lawyers argued these findings supported the brothers’ long-standing claim that they acted out of fear after years of sexual abuse.
The judge’s ruling
Judge William C. Ryan dismissed both claims, writing that neither piece of evidence was strong enough to warrant a new trial. He said the letter “contradicts in part” testimony already heard at trial and that Rossello’s claims were irrelevant to the brothers’ mindset in 1989.
“The evidence alleged here is not so compelling that it would have produced a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror,” Ryan wrote.
Parole also denied
In August, Lyle and Erik were separately denied parole after commissioners cited deception, minimization, and prison misbehavior as proof that they still pose a risk to public safety. Both men are serving life sentences for the murders of their parents at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.
What’s next?
With parole denied and a new trial off the table, the Menendez brothers’ legal options are narrowing. Their attorneys, including Mark Geragos, have not yet commented on whether they plan to appeal Judge Ryan’s ruling.
