Where Is Pamela Bozanich Now? All About the Menendez Brothers' Prosecutor — and Why She Wants Erik and Lyle to Stay in Jail

Mar. 15, 2025

Pamela Bozanich and Lyle Menendez in 1993.Photo:AP Photo/Eric Draper

AP Photo/Eric Draper

It’s been over 35 years sinceLyle and Erik Menendezmurdered their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, on Aug. 20, 1989 — and Pamela Bozanich does not want to see the brothers released from prison.

Former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Bozanich served as the lead prosecutor in the Menendez brothers' first trial, which began in 1993 and resulted in a hung jury.

“They wanted away from their parents but they wanted the money and the lifestyle, it’s as simple as that,” she said in Oxygen’sBLOOD & MONEY: The Case of the Menendez Brothers Today, which aired in 2023. “People kill their parents all the time. Rich people from Beverly Hills don’t, and that’s why this case was a phenomenon. I’m not afraid of the Menendez brothers, but my sense of justice would be offended if they got out.”

More recently, Bozanich was one of the main interviewees for Netflix’sThe Menendez Brothers, which premiered on Oct. 7. Again, she was unwavering in her stance that Lyle and Erik should remain behind bars for the rest of their lives.

Here’s everything to know about Pamela Bozanich, including her prosecution strategy against the Menendez brothers and where she is today.

How did Pamela Bozanich become the lead prosecutor in the Menendez case?

Pamela Bozanich and mental health expert Ann Wolbert Burgess in 1993.AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Bozanich, who was born in 1954 and attended law school at the University of Southern California, was admitted to theState Bar of Californiain 1979.

At the time of the Menendez murders, she was working in the organized crime unit at the L.A. District Attorney’s Office.

“I got to work and they said it’s yours,” she recalled inBLOOD & MONEY, referring to the Menendez case. “It came my way because there were allegations that it was a mob hit.”

Former Deputy District Attorney Elliott Alhadeff was originally the lead prosecutor. However, according to theLos Angeles Times, undisclosed professional conflicts with his boss, District Attorney Ira Reiner, resulted in him being removed from the case.

What prosecution strategy did Pamela Bozanich use in the Menendez brothers’ first trial?

Pamela Bozanich and Lyle Menendez in 1993.menendeztrials/Youtube

menendeztrials/Youtube

In 1993, the Menendez brothers were tried for the murder of their parents with separate juries. Defense attorneyLeslie AbramsondefendedErik, while attorney Jill Lansing representedLyle. Both lawyers argued imperfect self-defense — claiming that the brothers, after allegedly being mentally, physically and sexually abused all their lives, believed that José and Kitty intended to kill them.

Bozanich’s strategy was to convince the jury that the Menendez brothersfabricated their abusestories and killed their parents out of greed, seeking the family’s $14 million fortune.

“I’m telling you now. That whole defense was fabricated. It was done artfully, but it was fabricated. And if I were an immoral person, I would have fabricated it much the same way,” she said in Netflix’s documentaryThe Menendez Brothers, adding that she couldn’t share her honest opinions about Abramson without getting sued. “I’m not giving up my house.”

Abramson refused to appear in the Netflix documentary and provided a statement to the filmmakers' which appeared in the end credits. “Thirty years is a long time. I’d like to leave the past in the past. No amount of media, nor teenage petitions will alter the fate of these clients. Only the court can do that and they have ruled,” she wrote.

The State, via Bozanich, also maintained the stance that “men cannot be raped because they lack the necessary equipment to actually be raped,” a prosecution strategy that hasangered supporters of the Menendez brothers.

In an October 2024 press conference, the District Attorney’s office publicly changed this opinion. “I think it’s also important that we recognize that both men and women can be the victims of sexual assault,” D.A. George Gascón said.

The 1993 trial ultimately resulted in a hung jury.

Deputy District Attorney David Conn took the reins in the 1996 trial and won. Lyle and Erik were tried together in front of a single jury, who eventually convicted them on two counts of first-degree murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole.

“When the verdict came back, I fell apart. I was happy they were convicted, but I fell apart because they got convicted and I didn’t do it,” Bozanich said.

The Menendez brothers' attorneys have made numerous attempts to overturn their convictions. In May 2023, apetition was filed in light of new evidence,and the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office is currently deciding whether to retry Lyle and Erik’s case.

What did Pamela Bozanich say in Netflix’sThe Menendez Brothers?

Pamela Bozanich.Netflix

Netflix

While talking to Netflix forThe Menendez Brothers, Bozanich recounted her time as lead prosecutor, including the first time she metLyle and Erikin the courtroom.

“I had no reaction to the Menendez brothers. There was no visceral reaction,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I was in the presence of pure evil … They were like poisonous potted plants. But there was nothing about them that I found fascinating, they were just these dumb jock killers.”

Bozanich also described the day of opening statements.

“I was coming into the courthouse, and people were filming me, and I just thought, ‘What the hell have I gotten myself into?’ And I went into the bathroom and threw up,” she shared. “The only time I’ve ever thrown up during a trial or before a trial or anything. Having the media there was a nightmare. You don’t have that in a normal murder trial.”

The former prosecutor showed great disdain for theMenendez brothersin the Netflix documentary but admitted that José had very few, if any, redeeming qualities.

“I couldn’t find anyone to say anything nice about José Menendez except for his secretary. And everybody else had just these awful stories about him and what a monster he was,” she said. “The loss of José Menendez, in my mind, was an actual plus for mankind. Jose Menendez was a really awful man, okay? And he raised two sons capable of murder, so there you go.”

Where is Pamela Bozanich now?

Pamela Bozanich.menendeztrials/Youtube

“It was very, very difficult. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said.

Bozanich has since retired from the District Attorney’s Office; her law license has been inactive since 2005.

source: people.com