At a hearing on Friday, when Eric and Lyle Menendez were waiting to hear if their hopes would end, photos of a horrifying crime scene showing his father’s vibrant body after shooting him six times in 1989 with a shotgun.
Jose’s photos were displayed in a crowded courtroom attended by many members of the Menendez family, including her sister Terry Barto. The family received good news at the hearing. A request to withdraw the rosselling claim of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s brother was denied, but it was costly.
Two mornings of the hearing, Ballard is rushed to the hospital, where she is in danger. The Menendez family say that her poor health is the DA’s fault.
Barratt, who says his family is fighting cancer, is 85 years old.
Lyle, left, Eric Menendez sits with Leslie Abramson, defense attorney Leslie Abramson, at Beverly Hills City Court on November 26, 1990.
“Unless notice, the prosecutor chose to show us an unedited image directly in front of us with a graphic unedited image of Jose’s corpse of his surviving family. No one prepared us,” the family said in a statement sent to KTLA. “There was no warning or humanity. It was shocking and pain to those who had already endured decades of grief.”
“The display worn by the DA’s office drove her on the brink,” the statement continued.
Jose was shot six times by his sons, including a fatal shot to the back of his head. That fact was not contested – they admitted the shooting several times – but their claim that Jose had sexually abused them throughout his childhood led to a re-examination of their life texts distributed in 1996.
Now, the family is asking Da Hochman to be removed from the incident.
They violate Marsy’s law, which was approved as Proposition 9 by California voters in 2008, claiming to exhibit photos on Gore. The law argues that “privacy and dignity must be treated with fairness and respect, and that it is not subject to threats, harassment and abuse.”
The family says the victim, Jose Menendez, was not protected through the photographic display.
“We believe the display is restored, completely avoidable and intentional,” the statement reads in part. “The District Attorney’s Office knows what the law requires and has deliberately chosen to ignore it. We are completely responsible for the deep pain we are suffering right now. The shock and heartbreak we feel cannot be put into words.”
Supporters are holding the sign at a press conference on the development of the Menendez Brothers’ Case in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP photo/Damiando Burgergen)
At a Sunday press conference from the group on the Menendez brothers’ responsive efforts, supporters said Mercy’s laws would not protect Lyle and Eric.
“Let’s be clear. Mercy’s laws were created to protect victims of crimes, not murderers. The Menendez brothers are not victims. They brutally murdered their parents and were justly convicted.
Mark Jelagos, the attorney representing the brothers, opposed the photo in real time during the hearing Friday, according to the family. KTLA could not contact him on Sunday for comment.
The family said they were trying to remove Hochman from the case while hoping for good news about Ballard’s health.
“Now, let’s be clear. Our forgiveness for Eric and Lyle doesn’t erase our grief. That doesn’t mean we won’t grieve Jose and the kitten. It means we believe people can grow,” the family said. “That trauma creates trauma. The cycle of abuse must be broken. It is not contradictory to embrace the love of those who have been harmed, those who have caused harm, and humans.
Source link
