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.
Post-Election Update
George Gascon lost his reelection bid to Nathan Hochman.
The two brothers were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. In May 2025 they were resentenced to life with the possibility of parole in 50 years because they were younger than 26 when the crime occurred. However, due to credit reductions applied by the State of California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, both were eligible for parole immediately.
In August 2025, each brother got a parole hearing. They were both denied release. Both brothers blamed sexual abuse by their victims for the killings, even their mother, who they killed with shotguns they bought for “emotional protection.” They can apply for parole again in 2027.
In September, Judge William C. Ryan denied their petition for a new trial. The judge held that the new evidence “does not negate the finding of premeditation and deliberation and the lying in wait special circumstance.” “The evidence alleged here is not so compelling that it would have produced a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror or supportive of an imperfect self-defense instruction.”
DA in CA 