The Menendez brothers ‘deserve a break,’ says the ex-mafia boss who spent months with them in prison

Famed gangster and mentor Michael Franzese spent eleven months in solitary confinement with Lyle Menendez in a federal penitentiary in Los Angeles County.

Lyle and his brother, Eric Menedez, served life sentences after being convicted of shooting their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, though they were eventually separated in different prisons after being accused of trying to plot together escape.

“They were absolutely abused. I mean, they told me things about their father, and even more disappointment about their mother because she didn’t step in and help, and she was ruled by the father,” said Michael Franzese, who served a prison sentence . at the federal facility on a parole violation charge before the case was resolved, Fox News Digital said. “Just from my conversations with (the Menendez brothers) – and I take everything with a grain of salt because you never know if someone is telling you the truth or not – but… I believe the abuse was real and they were scared .”

The Menendez case has received renewed attention following the release of two Netflix productions – a non-fiction documentary called ‘The Menendez Brothers’ and a fictionalized TV series based on true events entitled ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ – between September and October. . Both productions detail the brothers’ allegations of abuse against their parents.

Watch Fox Nation’s ‘Menendez Brothers: Victims Or Villains’

The brothers are also seeking a reduced sentence after serving more than 30 years in prison, and their family is supporting them. Lyle was 21 when his parents were murdered, and Eric was 18.

Read on the Fox News app

“They’ve been in prison for 30 years. You know, they’re in their 50s now. You know, I think they deserve a break,” said Franzese, a former member of the Columbo crime family. “They’ve been model prisoners from everything I understand. They’re married. Erik has a child, a daughter. I think they’ve spent enough time on it. And I think there’s more. This is more of a manslaughter conviction than anything.”

SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter

“I think they deserve a break,” he added later.

Franzese’s cell in the Los Angeles County Jail was next to Lyle’s in solitary confinement, he said. Their cells were locked, but they could talk to each other and “even see each other a little bit” thanks to mirrors in the walkway between the cells, he said.

Menendez brothers, convicted of murdering parents, defended by family members as they fight for freedom

The Menendez brothers recounted some of the alleged abuse his father suffered to Franzese, who empathized with the young convicts.

“I said, why didn’t you tell your family? And they said, ‘Well, my dad ruled the family, and he would find out we told him, and then I would really be in trouble. God knows what he would do. It would be worse,” Franzese recalled. “And I said, ‘No, that you don’t know. My father is a very powerful man, powerful friends, and we were just afraid to go to anyone.”

RECEIVE REAL TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub

The former mafia boss emphasized that the abuse does not justify murder, but he does believe that manslaughter charges should have been brought to the brothers instead of premeditated murder, and that their abuse allegations should have played a greater role in the lawsuits.

“The boys told me they loved their father. Their father was their hero. They didn’t even know what to do without their father, even after all this happened,” Franzese said, emphasizing how conflicted the brothers felt . about their actions and beliefs.

Menendez brothers, convicted of murdering parents, defended by family members as they fight for freedom

The brothers’ lawyers have argued that they should have been convicted manslaughter instead of murder, in that case they would already have been released from prison.

“The Menendez Brothers” premiered on October 7. The film’s makers promised to offer “another perspective – that of the brothers themselves, delivered in all-new audio interviews,” according to a press release. It also details the brothers’ claims that their father had sexually abused them.

Original article source: The Menendez brothers ‘deserve a break,’ says the ex-mafia boss who spent months with them in prison