THE LAWYER who defended the Menendez brothers after they shot their parents to death has lived a turbulent life after the murder trial that captivated the nation.
Erik Menendez’s former defense attorney, Leslie Abramson, was considered a formidable force in the courtroom before the notorious pair were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders.
Leslie Abramson pictured for the first time in years at a gas station in Los Angeles[/caption]
Leslie Abramson looking over a model depicting the wounds on the bodies of the Menendez parents during court in November 1995[/caption]
Abramson speaking to Erik Menendez in court[/caption]
Abramson during Phil Spector’s murder trial in Los Angeles in 2007 before she resigned from representing the music producer[/caption]
Now, Abramson lives in Los Angeles – where the 81-year-old was recently seen in pictures obtained by The U.S. Sun. when she broke her silence about Ryan Murphy’s series about the case, Monsters.
While out shopping and pumping gas near her California home, Abramson said she didn’t watch the drama miniseries and slammed it as a “piece of s**t.”
When asked about new efforts to free the brothers, she added, “I make no comments about my clients. None whatsoever. Attorney-client privilege never dies.”
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1996. The duo had two trials after the first one ended in a hung jury.
While the brothers’ attorneys said the pair killed their parents in self-defense after years of abuse, the prosecutors painted a picture of killers who were motivated by greed for their family’s fortune.
Abramson represented Erik at both trials. Her tough demeanor in court, along with her rapport with the brothers, came under the spotlight throughout the highly publicized trial.
Abramson, who stood at 4 feet 11 inches, is a New York native who earned her law degree from UCLA in 1964. She moved to Los Angeles as a married mom to one daughter.
After her 1969 divorce, she married a reporter at the Los Angeles Times named Timothy Rutten and the couple adopted a son. She then opened her private practice.
Journalist Robert Rand reported in his book that by 1990, Abramson defended 600 felony cases, according to Today.
In 1996, the Washington Post described her as a “fire-eating, mud-slinging, nuclear-strength pain in the legal butt.”
Despite her popularity during the Menendez brothers case, Abramson hated living in the public eye.
Rand said that Abramson once told a reporter, “What I would really like to do is become completely invisible for the rest of my life, because I don’t find celebrity very much fun.”
After the trial, she went on to publish a book titled The Defense is Ready: Life in the Trenches of Criminal Law in 1997.
In 2004, music legend Phil Spector hired Abramson to defend him after he was charged with shooting actress Lana Clarkson to death.
Timeline of the Menendez brothers case
Erik and Lyle Menendez are serving life sentences in prison after being found guilty of shooting their parents to death over 30 years ago.
August 20, 1989 – José and Kitty Menendez are shot to death
March 8, 1990 – Lyle is arrested for the murders
March 11, 1990 – Erik turns himself in
July 20, 1993 – Highly publicized trial begins and ends weeks later in a mistrial
October 11, 1995 – Second trial begins
March 20, 1996 – Menendez brothers are convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder
July 2, 1996 – Menendez brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and sent to separate prisons
February 2018 – Lyle is transferred to the San Diego prison where Erik is held
April 4, 2018 – Erik and Lyle are reunited
May 2023 – Attorney representing the Menendez brothers files a habeas petition
September 19, 2024 – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story comes out on Netflix
October 3, 2024: Los Angeles authorities reviewing new evidence in connection with the brothers’ convictions
October 7, 2024 – The Menendez Brothers documentary film comes out on Netflix
However, Abramson resigned from representing him during the case, citing “ethical” reasons, according to CBS News at the time.
Spector was eventually found guilty of the murder in 2009.
Rutten filed for divorce from Abramson in June 2007, but the pair remained close friends until he died in September 2022 after suffering a fall at his home in California.
No amount of media, nor teenage petitions will alter the fate of these clients.”
Leslie Abramson
According to the State Bar of California, Abramson’s legal license is no longer active.
She is now believed to be retired and living in her home near Pasadena.
Erik Menendez looking at Abramson in court[/caption]
Erik Menendez, center, listens to Abramson while his brother Lyle looks on in May 1991[/caption]
After Murphy’s drama brought renewed interest in the case, a new Netflix documentary titled simply The Menendez Brothers revealed new audio interviews with the brothers.
Abramson didn’t participate in the documentary, but she shared a statement with producers.
“30 years is a long time,” Abramson said in an emailed statement.
“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.”
The Menendez Brothers and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story are both available for streaming now on Netflix.
Abramson holds a press conference after the judge declared a mistrial in the Menendez brothers’ murder trial in January 1994[/caption]
