Menendez brothers sentenced to life in prison
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from April 1996.
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Jurors reached the decision after 13 hours of deliberations over three days. Their decision was delivered in a courtroom. gripped with tension.
There were four separate verdicts in all, two for each brother for the killings of each parent 6 1/2 years ago.
When the fourth "life in prison without parole" verdict had been read, a large gasp of relief came from the section of the courtroom where members of the Menendez family sat waiting.
The brothers, who entered the courtroom in shirts and ties, their faces paler than ever, showed no reaction to the pronouncements. Erik did sit forward in his chair to listen more closely.
The verdicts were read for Erik first. His lawyer, Leslie Abramson, sat with her shoulder touching his. He leaned back in his chair when his verdicts were completed.
Lyle's attorney, Charles Gessler, appeared overcome with emotion and wiped his eyes.
The jury's pronouncement did not end the legal saga for the brothers.
The judge said he would hold a hearing 2 July to hear defense motions for a new trial and to pronounce sentence. While the jury's decision is only a recommendation, the judge does not have the option to impose a death sentence in contradiction of the jurors' wishes. Had they pronounced death, he could have reduced it to life.
The penalty verdict came nearly a month after the brothers were found guilty of killing parents Jose and Kitty Menendez with 12-gauge, pump-action shotguns as they watched TV in the living room of their Beverly Hills mansion.
The brothers contended through two trials they were avenging years of abuse and cruel treatment. That defense was powerful enough in the first trial to deadlock the jury and force a second trial. In the second trial, it was turned aside by the judge.
Jurors were grim-faced as they filed into the courtroom. Their written decisions were handed in by the same young male foreman who led their deliberations during the guilt phase of the trial. The jurors said they did not want to talk to the press in the courthouse, although Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg warned they might be pursued elsewhere if they did not grant a press conference.
The judge agreed to allow nearly three months before sentencing after Abramson said she planned a lengthy new trial motion that would be complicated and might consume more than a day of court time.
The judge ordered a probation report to be prepared on each defendant and asked if each understood they had the right to be sentenced within 20 days. Both answered, "Yes," in firm voices.
