The Menendez Brothers Case Before their trial had started, it was clear that Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents. The question was, why did they kill their parents? It was assumed it was greed alone that had drove the brothers to shoot their parents (Latson, 2015). Defense attorneys countered that with an alternative motive, a lifetime of abuse (Latson, 2015). On August 20, 1989, the brothers shot their parents (Delpozo, 2017). Lyle Menendez called the police claiming the two had just arrived home from the movies to find their parents dead (Delpozo, 2017). After the murder, the brothers started spending a lavish amount of money in the six months their parents had died (Delpozo, 2017). The brothers confessed to the murders to their …show more content…
According to Leslie Abramson, the defense attorney, the brothers confronted Jose and told him they would go public with the abuse and destroy his reputation it did not stop (Menza, 2018). They were afraid of his retaliation and feared for their lives, that was the reason they bought the guns (Menza, 2018). The defense argued that the brothers had been punched, belt-whipped, and molested by their parents (Latson, 2015). That claim was persuasive enough that the two juries in the first trial ended up deadlocked over the possibility of self-defense (Latson, 2015). They did admit to the killings but said it was self-defense, and that they shot their parents in blind panic brought on by years of sexual and psychological abuse (Hansen, 1996). They said their parents had been acting in a threatening manner and were about to kill them (Hansen, …show more content…
J. (1992). Patients' privilege. ABA Journal, 78, 24. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/docview/194350063?accountid=27953 Delpozo, B. (2017, October 27). Timeline of the Menéndez Brothers' Murders and Trials. Retrieved from http://standardnews.com/menendez-brothers-timeline/1/ Dunne, D. (2017, September 22). Menendez Justice. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1994/03/dunne199403 Hansen, M. (1996, 10). A failure of analysis? ABA Journal, 82, 18-20. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/docview/194376963?accountid=27953 Latson, J. (2015). Why It Took Three Juries to Convict the Menendez Brothers. Retrieved from ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=voh&AN=102159283&site=ehost-live. Menza, K. (2018, April 11). The True Story of the Brazen Brothers Menendez. Retrieved from
On the 28th August 1993, Stephen and Helen Gilham became the victims of murder in their own home, located in Woronora, which they shared with their two sons, Christopher (25) and Jeffrey (23). At the hands of Jeffrey Gilham, Stephen, Helen and Christopher Gilham were murdered brutally by means of stabbing, although Jeffrey only admitted to the murder of his brother Christopher. Jeffrey maintained the series of events that it was in fact Christopher that murdered Stephen and Helen, and that he had discovered Christopher holding the murder weapon, a knife, and in a blind fit of rage stabbed Christopher a total of 17 times. Gilham’s uncle believed otherwise, stating that it was Jeffrey who committed the initial murder and not Christopher.
The first suspect is Edward “Bennie” Bedwell. Bedwell was a local dishwasher who was questioned at a local motel for three days (Sigona). What supported Bedwell as a suspect is that he actually confessed to the murder (Sigona). There were multiple problems with Bedwell’s confession, however. The first problem with his confession is, “Bedwell couldn’t read or write, so it would be nearly impossible for him to understand what he was confessing to” (Sigona). The second problem with his confession is “After a time, everyone realized Bedwell’s story didn’t add up. There were inconsistencies, including the fact that Bedwell said he was with the girls for a month before they died” (Sigona). Finally, the main problem with his confession is that the girls were dead within four hours of leaving home (Sigona). The other suspect in the case of the murder of Barbara and Patricia Grimes is Max Fleig. Max Fleig was a young man in his teens when the Grimes sisters were murdered (MacGowan). Max offered to take a lie detector test, which he failed (MacGowan). The reason Fleig was released even after failing the test is “The police began to focus on him as a prime suspect until they were told that it was illegal to polygraph someone underage. The police released him, many of the authorities thinking he was their man” (MacGowan). Another example that supports Fleig as a suspect is that he was imprisoned later in his life
“Sacco and Vanzetti: Murderers or Martyrs?” The Washington Times (Washington, DC), 24 Aug. 2007, www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-168067994.html?refid=easy_hf.
When one thinks of serial killers, the first thoughts that come to that person are usually of cold blooded adults. Two young, carefree teenagers almost never come to mind, and most would never even consider the idea. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate may just change the way people think of serial killers. The young couple rampaged across the state of Nebraska in early 1958, murdering ten people along the way. Most wonder what could cause such young people to turn into murderers with what seemed to be no conscience at all. Did Starkweather have a bad childhood? Bullying could have played a part in causing Charles to turn out the way he was. Caril Fugate became involved with Starkweather at the age of 13 and many questioned if it was possible for someone so young to have played a part in something as awful as murder. As the duo traveled, fear was struck into the public. No one knew why the victims were chosen. Did Starkweather or Fugate have a grudge against them? Were they trying to stop the two, or was it just sheer bad luck? Like most criminals, the pair was caught. They each had very different verdicts. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate changed the history of Nebraska drastically in just a short amount of time.
In July of 2008, one of the biggest crime cases devastated the United States nation-wide. The death of Caylee Anthony, a two year old baby, became the most popular topic in a brief amount of time. Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, became the main suspect after the child supposedly was kidnapped and went missing. To this day, the Casey Anthony case shocks me because justice, in my opinion, wasn’t served. I feel as if the criminal conviction system became somewhat corrupted in this case. The entire nation, including the court system, knew that Casey Anthony was behind this criminal act, but yet she escaped all charges. I chose this case not only because it’s debatable, but also to help state the obvious, this case was handled the wrong way. Clearly the legal system was biased, which worked in Casey Anthony’s favor, freeing a murderer.
After a lengthy two hundred and fifty-two-day trial “not guilty” were the words that left the world in shock. O.J Simpson was your typical golden boy. He had it all, the nice car, the football career, and his kids. Unfortunately, this all came to an end when two bodies came to be spotted deceased in Nicole Browns front yard and was a gruesome sight. O. J’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman both found with brutal stab marks. Unfortunately, all his glory days now brought to an end, he went from playing on the field to begging for his freedom when becoming the main suspect of their murders. Since this trial has not only altered the way Americans viewed celebrities, but it also racially divided society,
Steve Bogira, a prizewinning writer, spent a year observing Chicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse. The author focuses on two main issues, the death penalty and innocent defendants who are getting convicted by the pressure of plea bargains, which will be the focus of this review. The book tells many different stories that are told by defendants, prosecutors, a judge, clerks, and jurors; all the people who are being affected and contributing to the miscarriage of justice in today’s courtrooms.
Following the arrest on January 8th of 1992 the trial began August 18, 1992. The state had two factors that played a part in trial. One being Johnny Everett Webb a fellow inmate, with Cameron Willingham in Navarro County Jail. The second major factor being testimonies from investigators Vasquez and Frogg on what they believed happened that night. The prosecutors believed that Cameron willingly tried to murder his children by setting his home on fire. Cameron Willingham never changed his story and always seemed to be innocent. Willingham was found guilty on the grounds of the testimony that the forensic experts gave at court because a former inm...
The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg), "Two Brothers Charged in Ammidown Murder." March 16, 1972. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19720316&id=iqlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0ucDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7421,2169052 (accessed April 11, 2012).
All of these dealers claimed they were innocent, but one particular defense attorney, Cynthia Barbare, took her client, Jose Luis Vega, at his word. He claimed to be an honest auto mechanic and the dirt under his fingernails led her to believe him. Plus, she found it odd that a reportedly wealthy drug trafficker lived in such a meager home. Her first line of defense was simply requesting that the drug lab test the veracity of the drugs. None of the prior dealers from Alonso’s cases had done so because the Dallas county court system unofficially penalized anyone who requested verification from the drug lab with a much lengthier sentence. The courts had simply relied upon the officers’ field tests. Ultimately, Barbare’s gutsy choice paid off
Wilson, James Q. "Crime and Justice." JSTOR. The University of Chicago Press, 1990. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. .
Garrett, Brandon. Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2011. 86. Print.
On August 20th, 1989 Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents inside their Beverly Hills home with fifteen shot gun blasts after years of alleged “sexual, psychological, and corporal abuse” (Berns 25). According to the author of “Murder as Therapy”, “The defense has done a marvelous job of assisting the brothers in playing up their victim roles” (Goldman 1). Because there was so much evidence piled up against the brothers, the defense team was forced to play to the jurors’ emotions if they wanted a chance at an acquittal. Prosecutor Pamela Bozanich was forced to concede that “Jose and Kitty obviously had terrific flaws-most people do in the course of reminding jurors that the case was about murder, not child abuse” (Adler 103). Bozanich “cast the details of abuse as cool, calculated lies” (Smolowe 48)...
Jeffree Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ted bundy may seem like drastically different people but they all have one thing in common.They all have childhoods that impacted the way they kill in someway shape or form. Childhood has a huge impact on the way you grow up and who you
To begin with, numerous reasons for why a child acts in the manner he exhibits and why he continues to exert such dangerous and even fatal schemes. Recent research shows that factors ranging from inherited personality traits to chemical imbalances and damages suffered in the womb can increase the odds that a child will become violent (Johnson 234). Experts argue that no one is predestined to a life of crime. They believe that influences such as repeated abuse, extreme neglect, poverty, media violence, and easy access to guns play the major role in molding children into criminals. The father of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer wonders, "If potential for evil is in the blood that some of us pass on to our children" (Seifert 23).