Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - "New Evidence" That Wasn't Enough to Win the Menendez Brothers a New Trial | Crime Alert 6AM 10.01.25

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Examining the new evidence that wasn't enough to warrant a new trial for the Menendez Brothers. Fast & Furious actor Tyrese Gibson is wanted after his dogs killed a neighbor dog. A man whose first kiss came from Katy Perry on American Idol is now in prison for child porn. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking Crime News now. Lyle and Eric Menendez will not be getting out of jail. Lawyers were the brothers convicted of killing both parents, Jose and Kitty, filed a petition with the court signing two new pieces of evidence. They claim the evidence supports claims of sex abuse. L.A. Superior Court Judge William Ryan rejected the motion saying the new evidence was not compelling enough to produce a reasonable doubt in the mind of sex abuse. at least one juror. Lyle and Eric Menendez will be eligible to apply for parole again in three short years. Straight out to Drew Nelson for more. Nancy, Judge William C. Ryan ruled those two additional pieces of evidence were not strong enough to reopen the case. Judge Ryan denying Eric and Lyle Menendez's 2023 habeas corpus petition closing off another path to freedom less than a month after both

men were denied parole. Their attorneys argued that those two items uncovered in recent years warranted a new trial. The first, a 1998 letter written by Eric to his cousin Andy Canoe describing sexual abuse by their father Jose Menendez. The second was a statement from former Minuto singer Roy Rosello, who claimed Jose raped him in 1983. An allegation made public in the 2023 docu-series Menendez plus Minuto boys betrayed. Judge Ryan said neither item met the legal threshold to just testify a retrial. He wrote, quote, neither piece of newly discovered evidence is particularly strong. He said the letter, quote, contradicts, in part, the testimony of Eric Ann Canoe, and, quote, does not additionally inform the jury of petitioner's alleged fear at the time of the

murders. Judge Ryan added that the Minuto allegation, quote, corroborates the general allegation that Jose was sexually abusive of boys and young men, but it is not relevant to the petitioner's state of mind at the time of the murders. District Attorney Nathan Hockman, raised the ruling, calling it, quote, a full kibosh on the brothers' attempt to overturn their convictions, quote, this petition does not come close to meeting the factual or legal standard to warrant a new trial. Hockman also repeated his long-held stance, quote, not never, but not yet. He said the brothers have, quote, never acknowledged their calculated plan to kill their parents, nor their attempts to suborn perjury from friends to bolster their false self-defense

narrative. Legal experts called the habeas petition a long shot. Judge Ryan agreed, writing that the evidence, quote, would not have produced a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror or supportive of an imperfect self-defense instruction. The hearings drawing national attention as state officials, reporters, and family members packed into what Cal Matters called a circus-like proceeding. Both hearings were live-streamed, and the release of Eric Menendez's hearing audio, less than 24 hours later caused a public uproar. Their attorney protested that the California Department of Corrections had broken its own rules. The board acknowledged the brothers' accomplishments in prison, from hospice work to trauma programs, but cited recent cell phone use violations

and what it described as, quote, antisocial personality traits as reasons for the three-year denials, although the brother's notoriety ensured the full sentencing review, but brought immense political pressure and scrutiny to their parole bids. Governor Gavin Newsom's representative personally attended the hearings, signaling how politically charged any decision to release them would be. Pressure would have landed on Newsom to block their parole under California law. Legal experts told CalMatters that people their age rarely reoffend, yet the optics of freeing two men who murdered their parents still way heavily. Eric and Lyle were re-sentenced in May to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under youth offender

laws. Their next parole hearings are scheduled for 2028, though with good behavior, the weight could be reduced to early 2027. Thanks, Drew. More Crime and Justice News after this. Actor Tyrese Gibson is wanted in Fulton County, Georgia, after police say his cane-corso dogs mulled and killed a neighbor's small dog in the upscale Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead. The attack happened on September 18th outside Gibson's mansion on Tuxedo Court. Police say four Cain Corsos belonging to the Fast and Furious Star were roaming freely when they killed a five-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Henry. The dog's owner Harrison Parker said he had let Henry outside for a few minutes that night and returned to find him dead in the driveway. A police report said Henry suffered broken ribs, puncture wounds, and severe internal bleeding.

Security footage showed Gibson's dog scratching at a door across the street minutes before the attack. Another neighbor called 911 that same night because she couldn't read. her car with the dogs standing outside her door. Fulton County officials said Gibson's dogs had been reported running loose on five different occasions before the deadly malling. He had already received several warnings and was told he needed a permit since he owned more than 10 dogs. After the attack, Gibson agreed to surrender the animals, but later changed his mind. When officers returned to his home on the 22nd with a search warrant, both Gibson and the dogs were gone. Gibson's attorney said the actor was not home when the attack happened.

has since rehome the dogs. In a statement, the lawyer said Gibson, quote, extends his deepest condolences to the family who lost their beloved dog and is cooperating fully with authorities. Police later learned Gibson had left the country. He had posted online that he was taking a mental health break in Dubai and would not return until November. Parker said Henry was his first dog and his closest companion. An arrest warrant for cruelty to animals remains active. A former American Idol contestant who once said Katie Perry gave him his first kiss is sentenced to 25 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material.

Benjamin Glaze, age 26, pleaded guilty in Tulsa County District Court after police found more than 700 images and videos of child sexual abuse on his phone. He will serve 15 years in prison and another 10 years suspended. Glaze must also register as a sex offender and face strict release conditions, including a test to measure sexual arousal and a lifetime ban on viewing pornography or entering adult businesses. The Tulsa Police Department said the investigation began in April 2024 after a mental health counselor told detectives that Glaze had confessed to a child pornography addiction. Officers later executed a search warrant and seized his phone uncovering hundreds of files

showing the sexual abuse of minors. He was arrested that October and charged with aggravated possession of child sexual abuse material. Court records show Glaze admitted to guilt. In order to qualify for release after 15 years, he must take a penile plethysmograph test and enable screening to measure his responses to adult and child images. He is also barred from strip clubs and sex shops. He must wear appropriate clothing at all times and submit regular blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Glaze had his 15 minutes of fame in 2018 when he auditioned for American Idol. The then-19-year-old told judges Katie Perry, Luth Brian, and Lionel Richie he had never kissed a girl. Perry then called him

forward and kissed him on the lips after he leaned in for a cheek kiss. The moment went viral and stirred public backlash. Glaze later told the New York Times he was, quote, a tad uncomfortable and wanted his first kiss to be special, though he said he did not believe Perry had sexually harassed him. He later defended her online, writing, quote, I am very honored and thankful to have been a part of American Idol. I do not think I was sexually harassed by Katie Perry. After the show, Glaise joined the Marines and later worked as a video editor. Thanks, Drew. For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides. With this

crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an IHeart podcast.