FW: ABCNEWS EXCLUSIVE - Marriage and Murder ... Alegedly gay Erik Menendez is married
Sam Damon
[mailto:bounce-abcnews-l-> 189...@list1.starwave.com] On Behalf Of
Breaking News
> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2002 7:41 AM
> To: ABCNEWS.com Breaking News
> Subject: ABCNEWS EXCLUSIVE - Marriage and Murder
>
> Tammi Menendez tells "20/20" why she married Erik Menendez after he
and
> his brother were convicted of killing their parents.
>
> http://abcnews.go.com/
This should be very interesting. You may remember that during the
Menendez trial, there was evidence that the then-18 y/o Erik Menendez
was gay (see below). In a disgusting move, the prosecutor actually
argued that because young Erik had allegedly had homosexual experiences,
he couldn't have been traumatized by his father's alleged sexual abuse.
That's like saying a sexually active woman wouldn't be traumatized by
rape. Anyway, the incarcerated Erik is now married. It will be very
interesting to see if Barbara Walters will bring up the issue of
Menendez's homosexuality.
Attached up Walter's summary of the interview, old Court TV transcripts
re: Erik's homosexuality, and an excerpt from the Crime Library.
======================
From: Barbara Walters [mailto:Barbara...@abcnews.go.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 5:20 PM
To: 20/20 Mailing List
Subject: This Friday on "20/20" - Fame and Infamy
[ ... ]
You probably remember the sensational murder trials of Erik and Lyle
Menendez more than seven years ago. They killed both their father and
mother in one horrendous night in August of 1989. They were young, rich
kids and at first the police thought it was an outside job.
But Erik Menendez, consumed with guilt, confessed to his psychiatrist --
and that confession started the legal process. The brothers' first trial
ended in a hung jury. Their second trial ended in a conviction for
murder,
and they are serving separate life sentences without parole in two
different prisons in California.
After their conviction, I conducted the only interview the brothers did.
They were intelligent, well-spoken men and both insisted that the crime
was committed out of fear that their father was going to kill them for
exposing what they had testified was sexual abuse, especially toward
Erik.
In the years following that program, Erik wrote to me from time to time.
In one letter, he told me that he had married a wonderful woman whom he
had not met until he was in state prison. She had begun by writing to
him
and had only met him years after his imprisonment. Her name was Tammi.
At Erik's suggestion, we got in touch with Tammi. She is a very
articulate
but shy person who has never wanted fame. Last spring, I went to the
prison and met Tammi and Erik. Tammi agreed to an interview because she
wants people to understand Erik as she does, although she in no way
condones his hideous act.
On this week's "20/20," you will hear why Tammi married Erik and what
their strange marriage is like. Perhaps you will even be able to
understand what that marriage gives her. They can never be alone
together.
There is no conjugal sex. He is in prison for life, with no parole. But
she says she has never been happier.
Even more, you will hear from Erik himself. Neither tape recorders nor
video cameras are allowed in the prison, but we were able to tape a
conversation with Erik on the telephone.
Erik feels he should have a new trial. You will learn why. You will also
hear from a prominent criminal attorney who does not know Erik, but also
feels the evidence may warrant a new trial. All in all, it is one of the
most surprising and compelling set of interviews I have ever done.
[ ... ]
===========================
COURT TV
http://www.courttv.com/casefiles/menendez/summaries/pp03.html
The judge still must decide whether the jury will hear about references
to Erik's homosexuality.
According to Dr. Vicary's original notes, Erik had homosexual
experiences when he was 11, 12 and 16 years old. Asked by Judge Weisberg
about why the information was relevant, prosecutor David Conn said, "it
puts the allegations of sexual assault (by his father) in a new
perspective."
Prosecutors have been trying for years to present evidence that Erik is
gay. The state argues that Erik could have fabricated his story based on
details of his homosexual relationships.
The state also wants Dr. Vicary to testify about a section in his notes
in which he reveals that Erik was raped by a male baby-sitter when he
was five years old. The defense has argued that Erik's personality
changed when he was a young boy -- he went from being happy and loving
to introverted and sad. Conn now wants to argue that the change was
caused by the baby-sitter rape -- not the abuse by his father.
The judge is expected to rule on these issues Wednesday before the jury
resumes hearing testimony.
APRIL 10
[ ... ]
Judge Stanley Weisberg did not allow prosecutors to introduce evidence
from the notes that Erik had homosexual relations when he was 11, 12 and
16 years old, and that he was raped by a male baby-sitter when he was
five-years-old. Prosecutor David Conn argued that because Erik had
homosexual experiences, he could not have been so traumatized by his
father molesting him.
=================
CRIME LIBRARY
http://www.crimelibrary.com/menendez/menendezfirst.htm
Lester Kuriyama repeatedly tried to bring up the issue of Erik's
sexuality, but Judge Weissberg refused to allow it. Kuriyama felt that
it was relevant because the defense was trying to make it appear that
Jose was a sexual predator. One witness had testified to seeing gay porn
magazines in the house, the implication being that they belonged to
Jose, which could substantiate the claim that Jose had enjoyed sex with
men. However, if the magazines belonged to Erik, this would cast the
issue in an entirely different light.
[...]
Lester Kuriyama's final argument was completed in three hours. He told
the jury that he would not attempt to "dazzle" them, but instead asked
the jury to "base your decision in this case on common sense." He told
the jury that Erik was homosexual and the reason he raised this issue
was that "if the defendant were engaging in consensual sex with other
men that would account for him being able to describe what he described
for you, his sexual encounters with his father." Kuriyama went on the
tell the jury that Jose had not forced Erik into homosexual acts, but
was in fact furious that Erik was gay.
--
This is message #3569.
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