Menendez Brothers Case 'Is a Manslaughter Case': Lawyer

Following the discovery of a letter and other evidence that their lawyer says should get the Menendez brothers' murder convictions vacated, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is investigating the claims in the habeas petition filed by the attorney last year. In the meantime, 48 Hours took a long look at the infamous case in an episode that aired Saturday on CBS News. Lyle and Erik Menendez, then 21 and 18, fatally shot their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, but they have long insisted they did so out of fear, claiming they had been sexually, emotionally, and physically abused for years.

Speaking about the moment when he heard a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo had come forward to accuse the Menendez brothers' father of sexually abusing him when he was a teen, Lyle Menendez says he cried. "For me, it was very meaningful to just have things come out that caused people to really realize, OK … at least this part of what it's about is true." Their lawyer's take: "This is a manslaughter case, not a murder case. It's just that simple." It's not clear when the DA's office might come to a decision on whether to retry the case, or when a judge might rule on the matter, CBS News reports. Watch the 48 Hours episode here or read a transcript here. (More Lyle Menendez stories.)