Lauren Johnson-Norris on @Channel10AU re: Menendez Brothers case

[Speaker 2]

With these new claims of abuse and growing public interest and support for the case, questions have been raised about the brother's release. For more on this U.S. criminal defense attorney, Lauren Johnson Norris joins us now live from Los Angeles. Lauren, do you think fresh developments could be enough to sway the district attorney's decision?

[Speaker 1]

I think that they can. There are two critical pieces of evidence. The first is the note that Eric wrote his cousin about two years before they murdered their parents.

And that evidence corroborates their testimony at trial that they both were molested. The second piece of evidence was a statement that was by a man who also claimed he was molested as a child, a member of a band Menudo, and that that abuse took place in the family home, which also corroborates Eric and Lyle's account of the abuse that they suffered in the family home, a place where their father felt free to abuse boys. So I think the district attorney is taking a very serious look at this, and I do think that that could persuade him to at least look at resentencing in this case.

[Speaker 2]

Family members claim the brothers wouldn't have been convicted of first degree murder in today's world, which is more aware of the impact of sexual abuse. Do you think there'd be a difference if it was tried today?

[Speaker 1]

I don't know if the outcome would be a murder, but even if it were, I think the sentence might be very different. Back then, we didn't take as a society as seriously abusive boys. We may have looked at victims who are female differently.

And so the fact that we are now in this post-MeToo world, where men are coming forward about the abuses that they've suffered, our society has changed dramatically. Their sentence of life without parole probably would have been a life sentence, but at least they would have had the opportunity to show rehabilitation and potentially be released.

[Speaker 2]

There has been a renewed public interest in the case off the back of the Netflix series. Could that alone influence the judicial process? And could the brothers be released?

[Speaker 1]

Well, anytime new information is coming to the public's attention or the district attorney has the opportunity to bring it back to his attention, I think that that's a good thing for these gentlemen. I think that any attention to their case that now has been over 35 years, you know, being incarcerated for 35 years is nearly an entire lifetime. They were quite young when they went into custody.

And I assume that they expected to spend the rest of their life there. So bringing this back to the attention of the public, to the judiciary and to the district attorney is critical at this time.

[Speaker 2]

Thank you very much, Lauren Johnson-Norris, for joining us all the way from LA. Appreciate your time.