The Daily Mail has the story of George Gascon’s attempt to use the notoriety generated by a Netflix documentary about the Menendez brothers to bolster his failing reelection campaign. Specifically, the attorney for the brothers claims to have found a letter corroborating the Menendez is claim that they were sexually abused by their father.
It’s worth stopping and noting here that being the victim of sexual abuse does not allow you to murder your abuser in cold blood. But that hasn’t stopped Gascón and others from claiming that this letter exonerates the Mendez brothers.
That claim is ludicrous to anyone who even takes a slightest look at the facts of the case. First of all the letter is not reliable evidence. The letter now mysteriously appears after years of having been overlooked, and only the Defense lawyer can authenticate it. Second, the recipient of the letter already testified in court, and it’s not clear how this would add to the testimony in any way. Third, the judge in the case many years ago correctly ruled that allegations of sexual abuse by the murder victims in this case were not relevant, since they did not give any support to the far-fetched claim at the brothers acted in self-defense. That’s because, as I mentioned above, you can only kill someone in self-defense if you yourself are in danger of imminent great bodily injury or death. You cannot kill someone in self-defense if you are in imminent danger being sexually abused.
Gascon is looking at releasing the brothers, apparently unaware of the fact that they stood to inherit $14 million upon the murder of their parents and went about spending almost $1,000,000 of it as fast as they could after the murder. Even the newest detective on the beat could put two and two together on those facts. And I believe the George Gascon, in his heart of hearts, also believes that the Menendez brothers are guilty, and simply doesn’t care. He would do anything to continue to keep the job that he has done so poorly at.
Gascon cannily set the hearing on the petition for after the election, probably hoping to please both sides.
DA in CA 