Juror Says Menendez Verdict Should Be Overturned

Hazel Thornton, a juror from the Menendez brothers' first trial, has spoken out about the influence of sexism and homophobia on the trial's outcome, suggesting that societal attitudes have evolved since then. She claims that male jurors did not believe the brothers' allegations of abuse and felt pressured to deliver a 'macho' verdict. The renewed interest in the case, sparked by recent Netflix productions, has prompted discussions about the brothers' claims of abuse and how the O.J. Simpson trial's fallout may have influenced their second trial. Both brothers maintain that they acted in self-defense due to years of abuse, and new evidence is being reviewed by the Los Angeles District Attorney to potentially resentence them. Thornton believes that if retried today, the outcome would differ due to changing societal views on abuse. Their attorney argues that the brothers' 1996 convictions should be vacated based on this new understanding of abuse dynamics.