Ana Garcia has some discovery of her personal.
After deep diving into the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have been sentenced to life with out parole for the 1989 homicide of their dad and mom, Kitty and José Menendez, the “True Crime Information” podcast host is bringing a chunk of proof that doesn’t sit proper along with her into the forefront.
“The one factor that has at all times bothered me about Erik and Lyle,” Garcia solely advised The Put up, “is that what number of extra Erik and Lyles are there behind bars with related circumstances? They aren’t getting the help and a focus and perhaps the compassion that they’re getting. And that goes to equity for me, and that’s what I take into consideration so much. They’re so excessive profile it’s all about them. What in regards to the others?”
After two trials, Lyle, 57, and Erik, 54, have been convicted in 1996 and sentenced to 2 consecutive phrases of life with out parole. Nonetheless, all that modified after the choose diminished their sentence to 50 years to life in Could. Now, the brothers are eligible for parole.
Though Lyle and Erik have served over 30 years behind bars, Garcia posed the query weighing on everybody’s thoughts: “Have they served sufficient time for his or her murders?”
“I’ve additionally seen different convicted killers spend a fraction of the time behind bars that these two have. Is that truthful?” The Emmy award-winning journalist continued. “I imply, there’s a case in Texas that I coated the place this man killed an 11-year-old woman. He sexually abused her. He killed her, and he threw her in a trash bin. He served solely 11 years for that homicide. That’s not proper. That’s not truthful. So the place is the equity in our justice system?”
Garcia additionally needed to remind the general public {that a} listening to doesn’t essentially equal freedom.
“Let’s take note, they’re nonetheless in jail,” the true crime skilled said. “They haven’t been launched. What has occurred is now, they’re eligible for parole. Properly, within the state of California, the parole price of inmates who go earlier than the board and are literally launched is 14%. That’s the final statistic we have now in California. Lots of people view California as being a really liberal state, however for those who have a look at the parole price of 14%, that’s not a parole board that lets folks out simply.”
Lyle and Erik’s parole board listening to was initially scheduled for June 13 however has been pushed again to August 21 and August 22.
“One of many brothers really stated on Fb that they thought it was a good suggestion,” Garcia added, “as a result of it offers them extra time to organize, extra time for the protection, their attorneys to current as a result of so much goes to occur at this parole listening to.”
The pair getting the possibility to be heard in entrance of the board can also be because of these on-line who introduced their case again into the limelight a long time later.
In 2024, Ryan Murphy aired the restricted sequence “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” starring Cooper Koch as Erik and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle. Koch additionally supported the brothers at their resentencing listening to.
“I do imagine that the present had an affect,” Garcia defined. “I additionally imagine the documentary did. I additionally imagine that Kim Kardashian writing her essay about why she believed that we should always choose them based mostly on how all of us now view the sort of sexual abuse they are saying that they skilled. I believe there was a groundswell of help to have their case re-examined based mostly on how we now perceive victims of crime. Which means they have been victims right here.”
“However as I’ve stated earlier than to you, if each baby who was abused killed their dad and mom, we’d have lots of lifeless dad and mom. What I ask myself again and again – this was clearly premeditated. That they had so many alternatives to not kill their dad and mom. But they went via with this plan, after which it was the cover-up afterwards.”
Together with a powerful help system from across the nation, Lyle and Erik even have their members of the family standing by them. Joan VanderMolen, Kitty’s sister, has fought for his or her freedom together with Terry Baralt, José’s solely residing sister.
“I hear the Menendez household talking loudly and clearly to each choose who will hearken to them, each prosecutor who will hearken to them,” Garcia shared, “that they imagine Lyle and Erik have already served sufficient time. Is that sufficient for a homicide? For some circumstances, it’s.”
Which could enhance Lyle and Erik’s probabilities of being launched.
The siblings may even get an opportunity to put in writing an announcement of non-public change, which is “their clarification to the board of what they have been considering on the time, why they did it, what they now know, and the way they’ve been rehabilitated.”
“What I see lots of is for those who deny your crime, for those who’re nonetheless saying that you simply’re harmless, that you simply’re nonetheless saying you didn’t kill her or him, that the parole board doesn’t like that,” Garcia expressed. “They wish to hear you admit to your crime. They wish to see that you simply’ve been rehabilitated, they usually actually need you to take duty, in order that’s going to be actually vital.”
“The query is, the violence,” she famous. “The extent of violence on this crime and full disregard for human life. How are you going to elucidate this?”
Their crime is one which Los Angeles County District Lawyer Nathan Hochman can’t reconcile.
“He has tried to dam all the pieces,” Garcia confessed. “He doesn’t imagine they’re rehabilitated. He didn’t need them to be resentenced. The truth is, it was so fascinating – you not often have the precise DA arguing a case in court docket, however this time, he stood with the opposite prosecutor assigned to the case and argued the case in entrance of the choose. That’s how strongly the DA feels about this. Is he proud of the resentencing? No.”
Hochman, 61, who was elected late final yr, isn’t seeking to again down.
“He has stated he’ll or his prosecutors can be attending the parole board listening to, and I believe he’s going to make his case as to what he believes,” Garcia stated. “He described them in that listening to as being a reasonable danger to society. That’s one of many greatest hurdles that the parole board has to determine. Are you a danger to society? Regardless of how a lot everybody has screamed, we have to see some change we have now. Their sentence has been diminished, however they’re nonetheless not free.”
