A juror who served during Erik and Lyle Menéndez’s original trial for murder has weighed in on the Los Angeles District Attorney’s decision to request a resentencing for the brothers.
George Gascón announced the recommendation to have their sentences reduced on Thursday, October 24, following renewed interest in the case.
Speaking to Australia’s “Kyle & Jackie O Show” the same day of the announcement, Hazel Thornton, who was Juror #9 for the first Menendez brothers’ murder trial, said she supported the resentencing.
“I think it’s a wonderful step in the right direction and a long time coming,” Thornton told the radio show, but said she didn’t support a new trial. “I think a new trial would be horrible. I think that the right thing to do is to resentence them.”
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She continued: “Of course, we still have to wait and see what the judge is going to do, and there’s no telling what the judge is going to do. But I think that the DA recommending resentencing is wonderful.”
The Menéndez brothers’ case was thrust back into the spotlight following the release of Netflix’s limited series Monsters and documentary The Menéndez Brothers. Erik, now 53, and Lyle, now 56, were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills, California, home in 1989 when the brothers were 18 and 21, respectively. They were ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.
During Thursday’s press conference, Gascón said a new hearing had been set amid new evidence that José allegedly molested his sons.
In her interview with the radio show, Thornton also shared her views of the brothers, revealing she had spoken to them occasionally over the phone.
“People are asking me; would I mind if they move next door to me? And I say, sure, why not? Society is not in danger if they get out,” Thorton said.
“You’ll find this hard to believe, probably, but they’re very polite. They’re very nice. They’re very smart. They have senses of humor. And one of the reasons that Gascón has recommended resentencing is because they have led exemplary lives in prison.”
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She continued: “Despite the fact that they never had hope of getting out themselves, they have helped to rehabilitate fellow inmates so that they can get out. And they’ve done all sorts [of other things]. They’ve educated themselves. They participated in and created prison reform projects, and they have basically grown up in prison and matured.”
Thorton went on to add that she’s only seen snippets of the Netflix series and refuses to watch it in its entirety due to concerns over its accuracy.
“I think it was not accurate and in fact I have not seen it. I’m boycotting it,” she said. “I’ve seen people have sent me clips. I’ve seen many, many scenes that do not represent Lyle and Erik as I know them. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of truth in the series. It just means I don’t have nine hours to devote to fiction.”
