Defense Attorney Quits Menendez Murder Case
A defense attorney for Lyle Menendez, one of the brothers charged in the shotgun slaying of their parents in 1989, has bowed out of the case.
“I have a legal conflict of interest that we’ve all been aware of from the beginning, said Gerald Chaleff, a Santa Monica attorney. “It was never my intention to represent Lyle at trial.” Chaleff, who declined to specify the nature of the conflict, will be replaced by Beverly Hills attorney Joel R. Isaacson at a hearing next Monday.
Lyle and Erik Menendez have been charged with the shotgun slayings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in August, 1989, in order to collect a $14 million inheritance. Isaacson said that Chaleff once represented both Lyle, 23, and Erik, 20, in a juvenile court criminal matter. “He feels he knows things about Erik that maybe he shouldn’t know,” Isaacson said.
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