During their murder trial, Leslie Abramson was the hot-shot lawyer who defended the Menendez brothers. She was the representation for Erik Menendez, who would later be found guilty and sentenced to life alongside brother, Lyle.
According to Vanity Fair, Leslie Abramson was “considered to be the most brilliant Los Angeles defence lawyer for death-row cases.” This was said of her in 1990, the same year Lyle and Erik Menendez were arrested for murdering their parents José and Kitty, and she was set to defend the latter.
Now, Leslie Abramson is 81-years-old, and is still best known for the Menendez case. As you could probably expect, she has long since retired from law. She has always kept quiet about the Menendez brothers and their case since she was their lawyer, but there have been a few times where Leslie Abramson has broken her silence. Here’s what she’s said in the decades since the murders took place.
via Lisa Rose/Globe Photos/Shutterstock
Leslie Abramson refused to be interviewed for The Menendez Brothers on Netflix
Following Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story giving a dramatised recreation of the case, Netflix has released The Menendez Brothers – a documentary about the murders of José and Kitty, with Lyle and Erik telling their own story. Many expected Leslie Abramson to be interviewed in the doc, given how close she was to the case.
However, it is said during the film that Netflix reached out to Leslie, but she didn’t wish to take part. She did provide a statement though, which read: “30 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.”
‘She’s a tough one’
The Menendez Brothers director Ross Dinerstein has spoken about getting in touch with Leslie Abramson for the documentary, and what she said when he approached her.
Talking toThe Hollywood Reporter he said: “I definitely can’t speak for her, only because she’s just such a strong and brave woman for what she took on, in terms of the case at that time. I’m very excited for her to watch it. I hope she watches this.
“She has notoriously never spoken out since the case. She said it was a valiant effort on my part to reach out to her and praised me for it, but ultimately, no. So I wish I could speak for her, but she’s a tough one.”
Leslie Abramson was stopped by reporters to talk about the attention Lyle and Erik Menendez have had from Netflix
@popeditssliv Leslie Abramson SPOTTED for the first time in years… #menendez #menendezjustice #menendezbrotherscase #mostersnetflix #erikandlyle #leslieabramson
Despite trying to stay out the public eye and not comment on the case anymore, The Sun managed to track down Leslie Abramson and ask her what she thought of the recent attention. She slammed the Ryan Murphy series, and said she will continue to never comment on her previous clients.
Asked about the Monsters series, she said: “That piece of shit 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.”
She was also asked about the recent call to have the brothers freed, and said: “I make no comments about my clients. None whatsoever. Attorney client privilege never dies.”
She once spoke about another recreation of the case
In 2017 there was a series of Law & Order which featured Leslie Abramson, played by Edie Falco. It was titled Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, and at the time, Leslie spoke of seeing herself played on screen. “Oh boy,”she said on a call with The Wrap. “I have nothing to say. Absolutely nothing. Goodbye.”
Show-runner René Balcer toldEWLeslie did not participate in the series in any way, but commented that “she’s having a nice life, a nice retirement.”
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and The Menendez Brothers are available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• The Menendez brothers’ case is officially under review: Here’s what that actually means
•Finished Monsters? Here are eight more shows you can watch about Lyle and Erik Menendez
•How new evidence could set the Menendez brothers free, decades after their crime
Featured image via Shutterstock / Netflix.