Dateline NBC
The Menendez brothers' chance at freedom. Questions for top investigator at Karen Read retrial. Plus, what's RICO?
Thu, 15 May 2025
The Menendez brothers have been resentenced and are now eligible for parole. Will they go free? A supervisor in the Karen Read case is on the stand for a marathon three days of testimony. Plus, updates in the cases of Donna Adelson, Lori Vallow Daybell, and Harvey Weinstein. Find out more about the cases covered each week here:www.datelinetruecrimeweekly.com
Chapter 1: Who are the Menendez brothers and why are they getting resentenced?
It's one of the counts Sean Combs is facing in federal court. But what does RICO actually mean? NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos will be here with an explainer.
Instead of just charging with a federal-based sex crime, the key to the RICO allegations is that there's an organization involved.
But before all that, it was one of the biggest true crime stories of the past three decades, the murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez by their own sons. On Tuesday night, the brothers got a shot at redemption. Lyle and Eric Menendez are in their 50s now. They were just 18 and 21 years old when they gunned down their parents in their Beverly Hills home.
Prosecutors at their trial said the killings were premeditated and motivated by financial gain. The brothers said that they had acted in self-defense to put a stop to their father's sexual abuse. After their first trial ended with a hung jury, they were convicted in a second trial in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. And that's where they might have stayed.
But on Tuesday afternoon in a Los Angeles courtroom, Judge Michael Jesick ruled the brothers were changed men and resentenced them to 50 years to life, which meant a chance at parole and a chance at freedom. Here to tell us more about the brothers' journey and what might happen next is NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett. Hey, Laura. Hi. Great to be back with you. Great to have you.
We've seen so much on TV lately with the Netflix documentary everyone was talking about. And Keith, of course, had his special for Dateline. Lots of people very interested in the Menendez brothers again.
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Chapter 2: What led to the Menendez brothers' resentencing and potential parole?
Chapter 3: What is RICO and how does it relate to current crime cases?
She was just claiming that her constitutional right to a speedy trial had been violated. Plus, racketeering 101.
It's one of the counts Sean Combs is facing in federal court. But what does RICO actually mean? NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos will be here with an explainer.
Instead of just charging with a federal-based sex crime, the key to the RICO allegations is that there's an organization involved.
But before all that, it was one of the biggest true crime stories of the past three decades, the murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez by their own sons. On Tuesday night, the brothers got a shot at redemption. Lyle and Eric Menendez are in their 50s now. They were just 18 and 21 years old when they gunned down their parents in their Beverly Hills home.
Prosecutors at their trial said the killings were premeditated and motivated by financial gain. The brothers said that they had acted in self-defense to put a stop to their father's sexual abuse. After their first trial ended with a hung jury, they were convicted in a second trial in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. And that's where they might have stayed.
But on Tuesday afternoon in a Los Angeles courtroom, Judge Michael Jesick ruled the brothers were changed men and resentenced them to 50 years to life, which meant a chance at parole and a chance at freedom. Here to tell us more about the brothers' journey and what might happen next is NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett. Hey, Laura. Hi. Great to be back with you. Great to have you.
We've seen so much on TV lately with the Netflix documentary everyone was talking about. And Keith, of course, had his special for Dateline. Lots of people very interested in the Menendez brothers again.
They are, and I think part of what's so fascinating about this case is that it obviously gripped everyone in the early 90s because it was really the first time a trial that had been so sensationalized was televised, right? And then it goes dormant for the better part of 30 years, and then there's sort of this resurgence because of a Netflix series called
a Peacock documentary, a Max documentary, if I'm not mistaken, too. And so there's like this flurry of activity. And then the DA at the time decides, oh, I think I should support their resentencing. That was a huge moment. New DA comes to town, pulls that support, which was another big moment. And it's sort of all culminating now in this new path for freedom for them.
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Chapter 4: What are the latest developments in the Karen Reed retrial?
We own it. Our NBC News producers were in the courtroom when the judge announced his decision. Tell me about the mood and the reactions in court.
It was quite emotional, again, because so many family members were there. They're sobbing, listening to the judge announce that resentencing is the right decision here, sobbing when Eric and Lyle are apologizing to them for the damage this has caused their family. I think emotions were really raw. Because, again, they've waited so long for this moment.
Let's take a listen to their press conference that they held outside afterwards.
We're feeling grateful, grateful to Judge Jessick for restoring our faith in the justice system, for reading the law as it was written, for not being distracted by the circus that our family tends to bring to town. So we are we're happy and elated. Laura, what happens next?
Chapter 5: Who is Sergeant Yuri Buchanek and what was his role in the Karen Reed case?
Now this will go to the parole board. They're supposed to get a hearing not more than six months from now. Then the parole board gets to take some time to evaluate the evidence, I think 120 days. And then even after that, Governor Newsom gets a say. And Governor Newsom can decide to approve or reject what the parole board has done.
Okay, Laura, thank you so much for your insight and for coming on Dateline True Crime Weekly. Anytime.
I'll be back when we finally get a word from the parole board.
Coming up, three days of testimony from a sergeant in the Karen Reid case. The prosecution is trying to put him at the center of the investigation, but the defense keeps bringing up someone else. After nearly four weeks of testimony in Karen Reid's retrial, prosecutors are still carefully laying out their case.
They argue that after a night of heavy drinking in January 2022, Karen Reid hit John O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV and left him to die during a snowstorm. Reid has pleaded not guilty, and her defense says she is the victim of a cover-up by law enforcement.
So far, we've heard from O'Keefe's family and friends, first responders and law enforcement officers who investigated the case. This week, all eyes were on one of those officers who spent three days on the stand.
Good morning. Good morning, sir.
Could you please introduce yourself to the jury?
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Chapter 6: How does the prosecution portray Sergeant Buchanek in the retrial?
My name is Yuri Buchanek. I work for the Massachusetts State Police.
Dateline producer Sue Simpson is here to bring us up to speed on this witness and what his testimony tells us about where the retrial may go next. Sue, thank you so much for joining us again.
Hi, Andrea. It's a pleasure.
Chapter 7: What is the defense's argument against the investigation led by Buchanek and Proctor?
Chapter 8: What is the next step for the Menendez brothers after resentencing?
It was mostly family members who have been almost universally supportive of the brothers. And remember, these are the cousins of the two people that were murdered. And those family members testified about what a toll this has taken on the family, but they also had people who, you know, had been in prison with them and to talk about the rehabilitation, right? The
Their whole thing is that they've participated in various programs in prison and have been active members of trying to help other people. I did think it was interesting the prosecution didn't put on a single witness.
Basically, it was just making arguments that we've heard before about the lies and about the fact that they still, again, in the prosecution's view, had not fully owned up to everything. So we also got to hear from the brothers themselves. If you listen to their allocution, which is when they sort of have a chance to make a little spiel, it's all about I take full responsibility for my actions.
I lied to police. I lied to my family. I'm so sorry. We own it.
We own it. Our NBC News producers were in the courtroom when the judge announced his decision. Tell me about the mood and the reactions in court.
It was quite emotional, again, because so many family members were there. They're sobbing, listening to the judge announce that resentencing is the right decision here, sobbing when Eric and Lyle are apologizing to them for the damage this has caused their family. I think emotions were really raw. Because, again, they've waited so long for this moment.
Let's take a listen to their press conference that they held outside afterwards.
We're feeling grateful, grateful to Judge Jessick for restoring our faith in the justice system, for reading the law as it was written, for not being distracted by the circus that our family tends to bring to town. So we are we're happy and elated. Laura, what happens next?
Now this will go to the parole board. They're supposed to get a hearing not more than six months from now. Then the parole board gets to take some time to evaluate the evidence, I think 120 days. And then even after that, Governor Newsom gets a say. And Governor Newsom can decide to approve or reject what the parole board has done.
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