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Activists Call on President Biden to End the Federal Death Penalty Before Leaving Office

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A conversation with Death Penalty Action Co-founder and Executive Director Abe Bonowitz. Now that Joe Biden is a lame duck president, activists are holding him accountable to make good on his promise to end the federal death penalty during his remaining six months as president. Biden’s election campaign in 2020 had pledged to end the federal death penalty and incentivize the remaining 27 states that still allow executions to do the same. While he made history as the first president in the United States to openly oppose the death penalty, there has been no movement to actually end federal executions during his nearly four years in office.

California | Notorious Menendez brothers murder case to be reviewed

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The convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were jailed more than three decades ago for the murder of their parents in the US, are set to be reviewed.

The brothers shot Jose and Kitty Menendez at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, in what prosecutors said was a plot to inherit their father's fortune.

On Thursday, LA County district attorney George Gascon said there was "a moral and an ethical obligation" to review evidence submitted by the brothers last year, which claimed they were sexually abused by their father and acted in self-defence.

There has been renewed public interest in the murders since a Netflix series depicting the events was released in September.

During the original trial, prosecutors said the killings were motivated by greed, and evidence the brothers spent much of their large inheritance on Rolex watches, cars and luxury property prior to becoming suspects made the case notorious in the US.

That original trial ended with a hung jury after the Menendez brothers submitted allegations of abuse spanning several years.

At a second trial, the abuse claims were largely withheld. The brothers were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.

New evidence now being considered includes a 1988 letter from Erik Menendez to his cousin, which reportedly appears to reference his father's abuse.

"None of this information has been confirmed," Gascon - the most senior prosecutor in LA Country - told a news conference.

He continued: "We are not, at this point, ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information.

"But we're here to tell you that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us."

He added that his team was "not saying there was anything wrong with the original trial".

Gascon said a review could potentially lead to resentencing or a new trial. A hearing is set for 26 November, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports.

Gascon said his office had received an influx of calls following the release of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix

The drama has caused controversy, with relatives saying the brothers had been "victimised by this grotesque shockadrama".

The show's creator Ryan Murphy has defended the series, and described the family's negative reaction as "predictable at best".

On Thursday, reality TV star Kim Kardashian voiced her support for the brothers, further fuelling renewed popular interest in the case.

"They are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent, honest men," she said in an article for NBC News.

Source: BBC News, Ian Aikman, October 4, 2024

_____________________________________________________________________








"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: California, USA
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