Menendez Attorney Accuses Reiner of Leaks to News Media : Courts: Lawyer for one of the brothers accused of murder says D.A. wants case ‘tried in the press’ to aid his campaign for attorney general.

Amid heated courtroom arguments over the imminent release of evidence in the Menendez murder case, a defense attorney excoriated Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner for allegedly leaking information to the media to further his political career.

Attorney Leslie Abramson, who represents Erik Menendez, one of two brothers charged with the shotgun slayings of their multimillionaire parents, told Santa Monica Superior Court Judge James Albracht that she has information that “these leaks are coming from candidate Reiner’s office downtown.”

Abramson said the leaks, which she did not specify, reflect “Reiner’s decision to have this case tried in the press to divert attention from some of the boners of the recent past.”

The lawyer was referring to Reiner’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for state attorney general and to a series of political missteps during the past two weeks in another high-profile case, the McMartin Pre-School molestation retrial of Ray Buckey, concerning an alleged plea-bargain offer and an attempt to contact the trial judge.

Abramson argued that granting the press increased access to evidence will only result in glitzy cases, like the Menendez murders, being “tried in the media--with all of its money, all of its pizazz, and all of its power to slant things.”

“She’s wrong,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Elliott Alhadeff, who is prosecuting the Menendez brothers, said tersely when asked as he left the courtroom about Abramson’s allegations against Reiner.

“That’s balderdash,” said district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons, who sat in on an ABC television interview with Reiner last week about the Menendez case. “At no time did he give out any information that would even lead to their finding out what they found out about the case.”

Both sides had agreed not to disclose certain information they had asked Albracht to seal. But several television accounts that included supposedly secret information have aired this month--even before the defendants have had a preliminary hearing on the charges.

After reading and listening to long arguments, the judge said he was “fed up with verbiage” and ruled Tuesday that an audiotape of Lyle and Erik Menendez’s 911 call reporting the murders and a four-hour videotape (with sound and certain portions deleted) of the search of their psychologist’s home must be released to the public within 48 hours, or by noon Thursday. He said that release of the tapes does not appear to violate privileged communications or to interfere with the defendants’ right to a fair trial.

Albracht said he would reserve ruling until May 30 on a media request for records relating to shotguns allegedly purchased by the pair, to give the defense time to present written arguments against their release.

Defense attorney Gerald Chaleff said he may file an emergency appeal to halt the dissemination of the tapes. The defense said it is opposed to release of such evidence before it is introduced in court. Jeff Douglas, a lawyer for psychologist Jerome Oziel, argued that the videotaped search of Oziel’s home was an invasion of privacy.

A hearing on the controversial audiotapes seized during the March search--recordings of psychotherapy sessions in which the brothers allegedly confessed to the murders--was postponed until June 8.

The psychotherapy tapes precipitated the arrests of Lyle, 22, and his brother, Erik, 19, although they had long been suspects in the slayings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, according to prosecutors.

The couple were found dead in their Beverly Hills mansion last Aug. 20, hit numerous times at close range with blasts from two 12-gauge shotguns. The guns have not been found.

Suspicion initially focused on the possibility that the killings were the work of organized crime, aimed at Jose Menendez, a high-ranking entertainment executive with Carolco Pictures Inc. But police said the evidence began to point toward the sons early in the investigation.

The defendants face special circumstance allegations of multiple murders, killing for financial gain and lying in wait, which could result in the death penalty. Both insist they are innocent, and the Menendez family has rallied behind them.