Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has ignored credibility issues related to new evidence that prompted him to announce his recommendation that the Menendez brothers be reconvicted of the 1989 murders of their parents in an effort to ‘rewrite history’. said uncle.
Milton Andersen, the 90-year-old brother of Mary “Kitty” Menendez, has opposed the release of his nephews. His attorney, Kathleen Cady, said Gascon has ignored repeated requests to inform Andersen of every decision made by the district attorney’s office.
“Despite numerous requests, Gascón has refused to inform Mr. Andersen of any decisions before holding press conferences,” Cady said in a statement. “Mr. Andersen is left in the dark and forced to learn crucial updates about his sister’s case from the media, instead of being treated with the dignity and respect he deserves.”
Gascon initially announced he would review the case in light of new “evidence,” including new allegations that the brothers’ father, Jose Menendez, abused Roy Rossello, a former member of the boy band Menudo, in the 1980s . letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin Andy Cano in 2015, in which he spoke about the alleged sexual abuse.
“It is unconscionable that Gascon, whose ethical obligation is to pursue justice with integrity, has ignored my frequent reports of individuals coming forward with information that seriously calls into question the credibility of the so-called ‘new evidence’ in this case pulls,” says Cady. “Yet Gascón has shown no interest in reviewing or investigating this evidence, turning a blind eye to potential shortcomings in his quest to rewrite history.”
Gascon said he plans to recommend a sentence of 50 years to life in prison for each of the brothers, which would make them immediately eligible for parole under state law because they were under 26 years old at the time of the murders were.
Both shot their parents multiple times while watching television in their Beverly Hills mansion. After a mistrial, the couple was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“They have been in prison for almost 35 years,” Gascon said Thursday. “I believe they have paid their debt to society.”
Any resentencing must be approved by a judge, he noted.
During Thursday’s announcement, Joan VanderMolen, niece of Kitty Menendez, said the district attorney’s office took a “brave and compassionate step forward” and “put justice before politics” with its recommendation.
“It is an acknowledgment of the abuse my cousins have suffered,” she said. “This is about truth, justice and healing.”
Critics said the timing of Gascon’s announcement came amid a tough reelection campaign against former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman.
In a statement, Hochman noted that Gascon received the brothers’ habeas corpus petition in May 2023 and a request for resentencing in February.
“Yet he waited until days before the November 5 election, down 30 points in the polls, with articles about how his failed policies have led to additional killings of innocent people, to release his recommendation for a new verdict ,” said Hochman.
In an effort to save his political career, Gascon was willing to “manipulate the facts,” Cady said.
“His decisions must be based on truth and justice, not a last-ditch effort to influence voters,” she said. “Gascón’s failure to meet his ethical responsibilities is a shame, and the victims of this heinous crime, including Mr. Andersen, deserve far better than to be pawns in a politician’s game.”
