On a special episode of Stay Tuned in Brief,  Jesse Weber, anchor and host at the Law & Crime Network, joins former federal prosecutor Elie Honig to discuss the criminal cases of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of first-degree murder in the ‘90s for killing their parents. Did they have a legitimate claim of imperfect self-defense based on imminent danger? Should evidence of sexual abuse been fully admissible? And should the emergence of new evidence prompt a reevaluation of the convictions?

This conversation is part of a new series of episodes that will be exclusively for members of CAFE Insider. Each week, Elie Honig and special guests will tackle one major legal or policy issue, helping you stay informed. To become a member of CAFE Insider and never miss new episodes head to cafe.com/insiderpod. You’ll get access to two full episodes of the podcast each week and other exclusive content.

This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. 

Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Editorial Producer II: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Audio Producer: Nat Weiner; Deputy Editor: Celine Rohr; CAFE Team: David Tatasciore, Matthew Billy, Noa Azulai, and Liana Greenway. 

REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:

• “A timeline of the Menendez brothers’ murder case and the push to reexamine it,” CNN, 10/6/24
• “Evidence of alleged sexual abuse to be reviewed in Menendez brothers case, prosecutors say,” USA Today, 10/4/24
• “Personal essay: Kim Kardashian says it’s time for the Menendez brothers to be freed,” NBC News, 10/3/24
• “Flannel Doctrine and Imperfect Self-Defense,” Eisner Gorin, 2023
• “Killers as Victims: Defending Menendez Brothers,” NYT, 1993