Mark Geragos, the legal representative for the Menendez brothers, has spoken out forcefully. In the wake of separate hearings where Erik Menendez and Lyle Menendez were both denied parole after serving three decades behind bars for the brutal slaying of their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, in 1989, their attorney has voiced his deep-seated suspicions regarding the decision.
"It was transparently rigged," Geragos declared on the TMZ podcast '2 Angry Men' on August 23. "Need proof? Speak to any family member. The only entity that didn't perceive it as fixed was the District Attorney's Office."
"Want to uncover the truth?" he persisted. "If you administered truth serum to those involved, they'd confess it was a setup too. Had the public witnessed the underhand tactics employed during these hearings, there would have been an uproar."
The attorney further alleged that during Lyle's hearing, a commissioner inaccurately compared the 57-year-old's cellphone usage to gang activity, falsely claiming it posed a threat to correctional officers.
"Firstly, inmates have access to tablets and phones," Geragos contended. "They pay per minute. The only party unaffected financially by cellphone usage in prisons is the for-profit suppliers."
"Ever wondered how these cellphones make their way into prisons?" he asked rhetorically. "Do you fancy drones dropping them off, or do you think guards sneak them in and sell them to inmates?"
Echoing Geragos' sentiments, Erik's wife, Tammi Menendez, offered a similar perspective after her husband's parole hearing. Following the August 21 decision, she penned her thoughts on X.
"Parole Commissioner Robert Barton was determined to deny Erik parole from the outset," Tammi wrote. "This was a blatant setup, and Erik never had a fighting chance! #Injustice."
She also challenged Barton's rationale for denying Erik's parole, which cited past infractions such as prison fights and cellphone contraband.
"Erik hasn't incurred any infractions since 2011," she posted separately, "apart from possessing a cellphone."
