LESLIE Abramson defended the Menendez brothers during their high-profile trial in the 1980s.
She was known as being extremely driven in defending her client and was unhappy when they were not offered the option for a manslaughter plea.
Leslie declined to appear in a documentary named The Menendez Brothers.
Here’s everything you need to know about Leslie Abramson.
Life before the trial
Leslie attended law school at UCLA and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1970
She began her career in Los Angeles and became known as a feisty, driven lawyer.
One TV newsreader described her in archive footage for a Menendez Brothers documentary as a “tiny, brash, brainy woman” with an “in-your-face style”.
Leslie started out at the County Public Defender’s office and stayed there for six years before joining a private practice.
She successfully defended 17-year-old Arnel Salvatierra who was acquitted of first-degree murder and convicted of voluntary manslaughter after shooting his father.
He received five year’s probation.
Leslie also represented music producer Phil Spector but resigned for “ethical reasons”.
The Menendez Trial
On August 20 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents, José and Kitty, and lived a lavish lifestyle until they were caught.
The trial was an international spectacle, with the brothers breaking down in tears as they recounted the alleged abuse by their father.
Ultimately, the brothers lost the case and were sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Reportedly, Leslie was furious after the brothers were not given the opportunity to be charged with manslaughter.
Leslie wrote a book, The Defense Is Ready: Life in the Trenches of Criminal Law.
Life after the trial
Leslie had a daughter during her first marriage and then adopted a son with her second husband Tim Rutten, who was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
He filed for divorce in June of 2007 but the pair remained close friends until he died in September 2022 after suffering a fall at his home in California.
Leslie’s legal license is no longer active, according to the State Bar of California.
Ryan Murphy’s Monsters
Leslie was asked by reporters if she had watched Ryan Murphy’s controversial series Monsters, which dramatizes the life of the Menendez brothers.
She said: “That piece of s**t that I heard about? I don’t watch any of those.
“I didn’t watch the last series, and I don’t watch any of the shows about it.”
Leslie was also asked about the renewed interest in having the brothers freed, which was supported by Kim Kardashian.
She said: “I make no comments about my clients. None whatsoever. Attorney client privilege never dies.”
“Thirty years is a long time. I’d like to leave the past in the past. No amount of media, nor teenage petitions will alter the fate of these clients. Only the court can do that and they have ruled.”
