<body><div> JILL Lansing defended Lyle Menendez during his highly-publicized and scrutinized trial, which was broadcast to homes across America. In 1993, <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/tv/12473439/monsters-lyle-erik-menendez-story-brothers-parents-netflix/" rel="nofollow"> Lyle and his brother Erik </a> were appointed their own attorneys as they went on trial separately for the murder of their parents on August 20, 1989. <figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_12745930"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0wLNzI_0wKNTNSs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0wLNzI_0wKNTNSs00" width="959" height="639" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Jill defended Lyle during his first trial </figcaption> Getty Images </figure><figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_12733208"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2m6x9q_0wKNTNSs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2m6x9q_0wKNTNSs00" width="959" height="639" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Lyle was sentenced to life in prison without parole </figcaption> AP: Associated Press </figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The pair were also tried by two separate juries. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"> Lyle Menendez’s confidant </h2> Jill represented Lyle, while <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12643131/leslie-abramson-lyle-erik-menendez-brothers-legal-attorney/" rel="nofollow"> Leslie Abramson </a> took on the job of defending his brother Erik. Jill was said to be quite different in court to <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12623212/menendez-brothers-attorney-leslie-abramson-netflix-documentary/" rel="nofollow"> Leslie </a> . Leslie was described as “fierce” and “fearless” by journalist <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12678816/dominik-domnique-dunne-erik-lyle-menendez-brothers-trial/" rel="nofollow"> Dominick Dunne </a> “, while Jill was much more warm. Lyle felt very comfortable around Jill, according to a Facebook post made <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/8016197/who-lyle-menendez-wife-rebecca-sneed/" rel="nofollow"> by his wife Rebecca </a> . She wrote that Lyle felt safe enough with Jill to “reveal his most painful, deeply-hidden, humiliating secrets in front of the entire world”. Rebecca added that Jill helped Lyle “give a voice to the multitudes of silenced victims” of sex crimes. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> In <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/topic/netflix/page/6/" rel="nofollow"> Netflix’ </a> s documentary, <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/who/menendez-brothers/" rel="nofollow"> The Menendez Brothers </a> , which premiered on October 7, 2024, Lyle said that Jill had persuaded him to testify in the trial. He said that he didn’t want to testify, but that Jill wanted “real reactions”. He added: “She just sort of drew the story out of me.”  The first trial ended in a mistrial in 1994, after both juries failed to agree on the verdict. Lyle said: “It may as well not have happened, like, it was just crushing. “I knew at that point, I was done. I was done.” Jill then stepped back to spend more time with her daughter. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><blockquote class="article__quote"> The idea of having to retell these horror stories to the world with a person who did not provide the same emotional safety to Lyle was just not tenable <cite class="article__quote-credit theme__copy-color"> Lyle's wife Rebecca </cite></blockquote> The close relationship Lyle had with Jill was something he didn’t share with <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12701250/charles-gessler-lyle-menendez-defence-attorney-second-trial/" rel="nofollow"> his second lawyer Charles Gessler </a> , who was an expert on death penalty litigation. Charles managed to save Lyle from execution, despite the fact that the Menendez brother did not testify at the trial. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Lyle’s choice to not testify was largely driven by the lack of connection between himself and Charles, according to Rebecca. She wrote: “The idea of having to retell these horror stories to the world with a person who did not provide the same emotional safety to Lyle was just not tenable.” Ultimately, the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole despite their claim that they murdered their parents in self-defense. They alleged that sexual abuse by their father had made them fearful for their lives. The prosecution, led by <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12648452/pamela-bozanich-prosecutor-menendez-brothers-lyle-erik/" rel="nofollow"> Pamela Bozanich </a> , presented a case that suggested the brothers had murdered their parents for money and suggested that this was evident from their lavish spending after their parents’ deaths. <figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_12643255"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1bT2ZR_0wKNTNSs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1bT2ZR_0wKNTNSs00" width="959" height="639" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Leslie Abramson defended Erik Menendez in court </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_12648551"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4Gm6p4_0wKNTNSs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Gm6p4_0wKNTNSs00" width="959" height="639" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Pamela Bozanich prosecuted the Menendez brothers in their first trial </figcaption> netfix </figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading"> After the trial </h2> When Jill stepped back from one of the most high profile trials in American history, she decided to live a more private life. When Charles Gessler retired after the brothers were jailed, she praised him as someone who had the “admiration and respect of everyone who has tried cases either with him or against him”. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> By 2007, when she would have been 60, her legal license was said to be inactive according to the State Bar of California. Jill has not commented on the recent calls to free the Menendez brothers, which have surged after a letter was found which was written by Erik to <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/2653676/who-is-andy-cano-lyle-erik-menendez-cousin/" rel="nofollow"> his cousin Andy Cano </a> . The <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12603322/erik-menendez-letter-parents-killed/" rel="nofollow"> letter details the abuse </a> that Erik claims to have been subjected to by his father. Also, <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/7904270/who-former-menudo-member-roy-rossello-docuseries/" rel="nofollow"> Menudo boy band member Roy Rossello </a> claimed in 2023 that he was sexually abused by the Menendez brothers’ father, José, which many feel adds credence to the brothers’ claims . <figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_12675303"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=09jzZA_0wKNTNSs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=09jzZA_0wKNTNSs00" width="959" height="639" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Erik claimed in court that he had been abused by his father </figcaption> AP: Associated Press </figure><h2 class="wp-block-heading"> The Menendez brothers’ crime </h2><a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12723303/erik-lyle-menendez-brothers-milli-vanilli-jose-kitty-funeral/" rel="nofollow"> José and Kitty Menendez were murdered </a> by their sons Erik and Lyle on August 20, 1989, at their family home. The brothers claimed that they were not at home when the murders took place and managed to get away with their crime until their arrest in March 1990. Lyle had been researching where to open a second branch of his <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12736943/lyle-menendez-chucks-spring-street-cafe-chicken-wing-shop-mr-buffalo/" rel="nofollow"> new chicken wing chain Mr Buffalo </a> when he was arrested. Erik confessed to his therapist, <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12648299/dr-jeremy-oziel-menendez-brothers-erik-lyle-therapist-psychologist/" rel="nofollow"> Dr Jerome Oziel </a> , whose mistress, <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12647502/judalon-smyth-dr-jeremy-oziel-mistress-menendez-brothers-erik-lyle/" rel="nofollow"> Judalon Smyth </a> , went to the police with the shocking revelation. They were <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/12491847/menendez-brothers-lyle-erik-prison-parents-murders/" rel="nofollow"> sentenced six years later on July 2, 1996 </a> . </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

JILL Lansing defended Lyle Menendez during his highly-publicized and scrutinized trial, which was broadcast to homes across America.  In 1993, Lyle and his brother Erik were appointed their own attorneys as they went on trial separately for the murder of their parents on August 20, 1989. The pair were also tried by two separate juries. […]