GUILTY\Brothers convicted of 1st-degree murder for killing parents\Brothers eligible for death.Byline: Jeannette DeSantis Daily News Staff Writer A jury convicted Erik and Lyle Menendez of first-degree murder and conspiracy Wednesday in the shotgun slayings of their parents 6-1/2 years ago, rejecting a defense that sought leniency le·ni·en·cy n. pl. le·ni·en·cies 1. The condition or quality of being lenient. See Synonyms at mercy. 2. A lenient act. Noun 1. by claiming that the brothers endured years of abuse. The eight-man, four-woman jury also found that the Menendez brothers were guilty of lying in wait and multiple murders in the Aug. 20, 1989, killings of Jose and Kitty Menendez - findings that make the brothers eligible for the death penalty. The jurors, ordered not to discuss their verdicts, will return Monday to begin the retrial's penalty phase. After less than four days of deliberations, the jury's verdicts were read in a Van Nuys courtroom crowded with media, spectators and the brothers' relatives, including their 78-year-old paternal grandmother, Maria. Lyle, dressed in a pink shirt, tie and khaki pants, and Erik, dressed in a pale blue shirt, tie and khaki pants smiled slightly at their family and sat at the defendants' table after they were brought into court. Jurors entered with eyes downcast down·cast adj. 1. Directed downward: a downcast glance. 2. Low in spirits; depressed. See Synonyms at depressed. downcast Adjective 1. . They were seated and made little, if any, eye contact with the brothers or their lawyers. The foreman, a young man with glasses, delivered the verdict forms, which were read by the clerk. As the first verdict for Lyle Menendez was read, the elder brother looked straight ahead and then shook his head slowly. He then lowered his head into his hand as the ensuing guilty verdicts were announced. His public defender public defender, governmental official who represents indigent persons accused of crime. U.S. Supreme Court decisions expanding the right to counsel to pretrial proceedings and holding that a person cannot be sentenced to even one day in jail unless a lawyer was , Charles Gessler, placed his hand on the back of Lyle's chair. Erik, 25, who testified that his father had molested mo·lest tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy. 2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity. him since age 6, sat motionless as guilty verdicts were returned against him. His lawyer, Leslie Abramson, shook her head, while co-counsel Barry Levin put his hand on Erik's back. Then, Erik turned around toward the audience and mouthed the words "I love you" to nearby family members. The courtroom was quiet as Judge Stanley Weisberg ordered the jury polled. Each poll was unanimous. Before he released the panel, Weisberg admonished jurors to avoid the massive publicity generated by their verdicts. He also issued a gag order A court order to gag or bind an unruly defendant or remove her or him from the courtroom in order to prevent further interruptions in a trial. In a trial with a great deal of notoriety, a court order directed to attorneys and witnesses not to discuss the case with the media—such on attorneys, their staff and any potential witnesses in the retrial's penalty phase. The order did not contain prosecutor David P. Conn's expression as he left the courtroom. "I feel great," Conn said. The victory snapped a series of high-profile setbacks for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. District Attorney Gil Garcetti, who faces a re-election challenge Tuesday, showed up at the courthouse to shake hands to perform the customary act of civility by clasping and moving hands, as an expression of greeting, farewell, good will, agreement, etc. See also: Shake with his victorious prosecutors. In a case fine-tuned by lessons learned in the first trial - which resulted in mistrials - prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their wealthy parents out of greed, to collect on the family's $14 million estate. They used grisly crime scene photos to illustrate the brutality of the shotgun slayings in the family's Beverly Hills mansion, and they offered a computer re-creation to postulate postulate: see axiom. how the killings occurred. Erik testified that he was sexually abused by his father since age 6. He said his mother neglected the brothers and knew of the sexual abuse but did nothing to intervene. Lyle did not testify in the second trial. Paramount to the defense case was whether abused children who kill their parents should be afforded the same leniency as are battered women who slay slay tr.v. slew , slain , slay·ing, slays 1. To kill violently. 2. past tense and past participle often slayed Slang their husbands. But the abuse rationale became a moot point moot point n. 1) a legal question which no court has decided, so it is still debatable or unsettled. 2) an issue only of academic interest. (See: moot) when Weisberg ruled that the defense had shown insufficient evidence insufficient evidence n. a finding (decision) by a trial judge or an appeals court that the prosecution in a criminal case or a plaintiff in a lawsuit has not proved the case because the attorney did not present enough convincing evidence. that the brothers killed out of duress and fear. In their deliberations, jurors rejected lesser offenses of manslaughter and second-degree murder for Jose Menendez, and second-degree murder for Kitty Menendez. Prosecutors have indicated that they will seek the death penalty in the case. The alternative for the convictions under California law is life without the possibility of parole. Legal experts say that during the trial's penalty phase, prosecutors likely will present the brothers as evil and greedy. "They will most likely concentrate on the brothers' intentions to spend the money, efforts to cover up the crime and trying to get others to lie," said law Professor Laurie Levenson. Harland Braun, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney, said defense lawyers for the brothers probably will argue that the parents were selfish and abusive so "at least it won't seem as cold-blooded as it appeared." Braun said lawyers also could argue that life in prison is no better than a death sentence for such young men. Wednesday's verdicts bring almost to a close one of Southern California's most lurid criminal cases. Although the brothers' retrial retrial n. a new trial granted upon the motion of the losing party, based on obvious error, bias or newly-discovered evidence. (See: newly-discovered evidence) largely was overshadowed by the O.J. Simpson case, the former contained elements that captured nationwide attention: a rich Beverly Hills family; handsome, tennis-playing sons; Hollywood ties; claims of Mafia links; and allegations of incest. The first trial, in 1993, ended in a mistrial A courtroom trial that has been terminated prior to its normal conclusion. A mistrial has no legal effect and is considered an invalid or nugatory trial. It differs from a "new trial," which recognizes that a trial was completed but was set aside so that the issues could be but not before generating frenzied media coverage that was retold re·told v. Past tense and past participle of retell. through TV miniseries, books and late-night talk show jokes. But when the second trial started in October, Weisberg barred television coverage, and interest waned. However, news of verdicts Wednesday generated a frenzy of activity at the courthouse. With no live television coverage inside the courtroom, the public waited almost two hours for news from the courtroom. Before the verdicts were announced to the public, word of the guilty verdicts spread throughout the courthouse employee pipeline. In the court clerk's office, whoops Whoops Slang for the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS), which made the record books with the largest municipal bond default in history. Notes: During the 1970s and 80s, the WPPSS financed the construction of five nuclear power plants through the issuance of and cheers went up amid cries of "guilty! Guilty!" Later, Garcetti could be seen beaming in the hallways of the District Attorney's Office, at one point giving the thumbs-up sign. CHRONOLOGY Here is a look at key events that shaped the murder trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez Joseph Lyle (Lyle) Menendez (born January 10, 1968) and brother Erik Galen (Erik) Menendez (born November 27, 1971) were convicted in a highly publicized trial for the shotgun murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, residents of Beverly Hills, California. . 1989 Aug. 20: Jose and Kitty Menendez are shot to death in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion. Lyle Menendez, in an emotional 911 call to police, sobs: "Somebody killed my parents." 1990 March: Brothers Lyle, 22, and Erik, 19, are arrested on suspicion of murder. 1992 August: The California Supreme Court rules that prosecutors may seek to admit as evidence the brothers' taped confession to their psychotherapist psy·cho·ther·a·pist n. An individual, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or psychiatric social worker, who practices psychotherapy. , Dr. L. Jerome Oziel. December: The Los Angeles County grand jury indicts the brothers, who plead not guilty. 1993 January: Prosecutors announce they will seek the death penalty. May: Lawyers file court papers shedding light on the brothers' defense: That they were victims of child abuse. June: Two juries are impaneled to consider evidence separately against the brothers. July: Opening statements. September: Lyle testifies tearfully that his mother and father sexually abused him during childhood. Erik testifies about 12 years of sexual abuse by his father. December: The juries begin deliberations. 1994 January: The juries deadlock and mistrials are declared. 1995 August: Jury selection starts for the second trial. One jury is impaneled. October: Opening statements. New prosecutors, David P. Conn and Carol J. Najera, emphasize the carnage of the crime scene. Defense lawyers claim that Erik suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental disorder that follows an occurrence of extreme psychological stress, such as that encountered in war or resulting from violence, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or serious accident. as a result of a lifetime of abuse. December: Erik begins 15 days on the witness stand. He insists he didn't know what he was doing when he killed his parents. 1996 January: Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg bars much negative testimony against the parents. February: Weisberg throws out the brothers' self-defense argument and limits the heat-of-passion defense to the father's slaying, effectively limiting verdicts in the mother's slaying to murder or acquittal. March 1: The case goes to the jury. March 14: Two jurors are dismissed for illnesses and the jury begins deliberations anew. March 20: Jurors convict the brothers of first-degree murder in the shotgun slayings of their parents. The trial's penalty phase, to determine whether Lyle and Erik will go to prison for life or face the death penalty, will begin Monday. Source: Daily News research THE JURY The jurors' identities have been kept secret. Here's a snapshot of the panel based on jury questioning at the start of the trial. Juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. No. 1: A 34-year-old U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. letter carrier from Sylmar. Married. Juror No. 2: A 64-year-old retired electronics engineer from Woodland Hills. Married, with three children. Juror No. 3: A 63-year-old travel agency owner from Northridge. Juror No. 4: A 62-year-old retired principal with San Diego city schools San Diego City Schools, also known as the San Diego Unified School District, is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854. As of 2005 it represents over 200 institutions and has over 15,800 employees. . From Encino. Married to a clerk at the Van Nuys courthouse. Two children. Juror No. 5: A 52-year-old Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3.9 million residents in 2006. It was founded in 1902 to deliver water and electricity supplies to residents and businesses in Los Angeles. supervisor from Eagle Rock. Married, with three children. Juror No. 6: A U.S. Postal Service window clerk from Canoga Park. Married, with two children. Juror No. 7: A 30-year-old Los Angeles city truck driver and Persian Gulf War Persian Gulf War or Gulf War (1990–91) International conflict triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Though justified by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on grounds that Kuwait was historically part of Iraq, the invasion was presumed to be veteran from Sherman Oaks. Former San Fernando Police Department reserve officer. Single. Juror No. 8: A 36-year-old U.S. Postal Service secretary from Arleta. Married, with four children. Juror No. 9: A 59-year-old housewife from Sylmar. Married, four children. Juror No. 10: A 37-year-old Social Security claims representative from Burbank. Single. Juror No. 11: The jury's foreman. A 25-year-old Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Jesuit school in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law (separate and unaffiliated graduate from Santa Monica. Recently passed the Bar exam. Single. Juror No. 12: A 42-year-old Los Angeles County real estate appraiser A person selected or appointed by a competent authority or an interested party to evaluate the financial worth of property. Appraisers are frequently appointed in probate and condemnation proceedings and are also used by banks and real estate concerns to determine the market from Glendale. Married, two children. CAPTION(S): PHOTO[ordinal indicator, masculine]CHART (1 -- color) Attorney Barry Levin, left, defendant Erik Menendez and attorney Leslie Abramson listen to the guilty verdicts Wednesday in Van Nuys Superior Court. (2 -- color) Lyle Menendez bites his lip as his brother's verdict is read. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News (3) Superior Court public information officer Jerianne Hayslett, center, reads the verdicts to media members. Tom Mendoza/Daily News Box (1) The Jury (see text) (2) Chronology (see text) |
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