Thirty years after the crime that trembled in the United States, Layl Brothers and Eric Mendes received an unexpected turn in their long judicial process. On May 13, the Los Angeles Supreme Court judge amended his sentence: life imprisonment without the possibility of monitoring, they went to the prison sentence for 50 years. Technical change, but decisive.
Does this mean that they can leave the prison soon? Not exactly, but for the first time it opens the door that has been closed since 1996.
Judge Michael Jesus was clear: This decision does not guarantee his immediate release. What allows both to be evaluated for monitoring, covered by the law of young criminals in California. Both were less than 26 years old when, in 1989, they killed their parents, Jose and Kiti Mendes, at their Petrolei Hills Palace.
The original sentence, which was issued after a double judgment, was based on the argument of the Prosecutor’s Office: that the brothers acted with greed, seeking to inherit a family wealth. The defense, on the other hand, argued that the murders occurred after years of sexual and psychological abuse by the father. After decades, the new arguments around the family environment and the bull from Docuserie in Netflix re -revived the general debate.
During the hearing of this month, both brothers provided guilt -loaded data. “I killed my mother and my father. I have no excuses,” said Lael. Eric added: “I shot my father five times, and I went to more ammunition. I lied to everyone. I am very sorry.”
The following is now a process organized by the California Monitoring Council. Factors such as their behavior in prison, the degree of rehabilitation and the risks they can represent for society will be analyzed. In addition, there are two types of lifting fans to be held on June 13, one for each brother.
In practice, the condemnation of “50 years of life imprisonment” means that they can seek a test after spending at least 30 years, which is something they have already overpowered. But the process is long and it is far from automatic. Even if the council recommends its issuance, there will be political and judicial cases to overcome them.
Besides the legal, the Menéndez issue is still an uncomfortable mirror for American society: a mixture of family violence, the media scandal, and a prison system that reviews today with other eyes, the sentences imposed on young people in the shock contexts. Will there be a redemption for night and Eric? Justice, again, has the word.
(Tagstotranslate) Brothers (T) Monitoring (T) Family Crime (T) the modified sentence
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