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00:00It's been more than three decades since the Menendez brothers shot and killed their parents inside the family's Beverly Hills mansion
00:06But was it cold-blooded murder for money or manslaughter driven by a lifetime of sexual abuse?
00:14While the brothers admitted to committing the brutal crime, there is renewed debate over their sentence
00:20Both Lyle and Eric are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole
00:25KTLA's Mary Beth McDade takes a look at some newly discovered evidence that could set the brothers free
00:38It was a murder case that captivated the nation
00:41Lyle and Eric Menendez killed their parents Jose and Kitty in August of 1989
00:48Inside their Beverly Hills mansion. I think it's a combination of rich kids
00:54Beverly Hills a movie executive father a wife that was a
01:00Housewife and involved in charities and the brothers were nationally ranked tennis players
01:05The case was televised gavel to gavel on core TV. There were people that were just following this
01:12Case like a soap opera like a novella
01:15Because it had so many twists and turns
01:17Well, the twists and turns continue today as newly discovered evidence
01:22leads to the filing of a habeas petition and
01:26Quite possibly the key to set the brothers free after nearly 35 years behind bars
01:33we found the habeas because we thought it was significant given the
01:38Evidence that we'd come up with so what is this new evidence?
01:43Journalist Robert Rand has covered both Menendez trials and done books in a docu-series on this case
01:49He remains close with the brothers and many family members and now ran points to a newly discovered letter
01:57Found in a deceased family members belongings
02:00Supporting the brothers claims of abuse. I found a letter that Eric Menendez had written to his cousin Andy Cano
02:08in November of
02:101988
02:12Nine months before Jose and Kitty Menendez were killed and in that letter
02:17Eric Menendez complains about the ongoing sexual abuse by his father
02:22Cousin Andy testified Eric would confide in him about the abuse. Well, he told me
02:28his father was massaging his
02:30and it was written before the
02:35homicides took place and laid out all of the abuse that was going on and
02:40It's I think compelling and in Rand's docu-series Menendez plus Menudo boys betrayed a
02:48former member of the Menudo boys band Roy Rossello
02:52Revealed allegations that Jose had also molested him at the time
02:57Jose was an executive with RNC and it signed the band to a record deal that I think was the game-changer
03:04I've always said the fact that there was yet another person who was
03:09Molested by Jose. What about the prosecution's theory? They killed their parents out of greed
03:15It wasn't like these were destitute kids who?
03:19Needed to kill their parents in order to live larger than life
03:24They were living in the lap of luxury at the time
03:28But obviously there was something dysfunctional going on
03:32Most relatives knew that although the Menendez family appeared to be picture-perfect
03:37They were far from it
03:39One of the things that always struck me once I got into the case was it apparently
03:44They knew the family knew there was a rule that you could not go down the hallway
03:50Kitty enforced it if the one of the sons was alone in the room with Jose
03:56Many of the defense's 60 witnesses consisting of family members friends teachers and coaches
04:02Testified at the first trial about the years of abuse that left the brothers fearing for their lives
04:08They now feel the brothers have served enough time and want them released from prison
04:14There's a reason 24 of the family members have all signed a petition that they should be out the first trial in
04:201993 resulted in a hung jury the second when no abuse testimony was allowed
04:26Resulted in a murder conviction the sentence life without the possibility of parole
04:33But with this new evidence
04:35Garagos feels optimistic the brothers may finally be set free. I feel confident
04:42I feel very confident actually
04:44The LED a's office is expected to respond to the habeas petition any day now coming up next week
04:50We're gonna take a closer look at whether justice was served or if the Menendez brothers were misjudged
04:58For now a new center Mary Beth McDade. We'll send back to you guys in the studio