Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
A juror who served on the first murder trial of the Menendez brothers revealed that the outcome of the first trial was “a classic battle of the sexes,” but claims it would be “very different today.”
Hazel Thornton said NewsNation’s Banfield during her time on the jury in the high-profile case, that it appeared “the men in the room did not believe that Jose (Menendez) had been abusing his sons​​​​.”
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of killing their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in August 1989, confessed to the murders. But they argued they were doing it out of fear, especially their father, a millionaire Hollywood entertainment executive who claimed he was a violent pedophile.
On Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that prosecutors would review new evidence and decide whether a dismissal is warranted in the notorious case that captured national attention.
Thornton said NewsNation’s Banfield if the brothers are tried again, “the result would be very different.”
“Hopefully they won’t be tried again,” he said. “I hope they are simply discouraged, because I think a new trial would cost millions of dollars and wear everyone out for no good reason.
“I think they should be resentenced, but if they were tried again, I think the result would be very different, because people know more these days, people understand more these days.”
Attorneys on behalf of the Menendez brothers share Thorton’s sentiment, arguing that due to society’s changing views on sexual abuse, the brothers may not have been convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life without parole today.
They filed a habeas petition to vacate their 1996 convictions based on new evidence just one day after Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezpremiering on Netflix in September.
Thornton says she has no plans to watch it.
“Why would I want to watch a story that doesn’t reflect the truth as I know it?” Thornton said.
Attorneys for the Menendez brothers, now 53 and 56 years old, now hope they will have their anger served and released from prison.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/menendez-brothers-juror-hazel-thornton-b2625235.html
