The Menendez Brothers’ Lawyer Leslie Abramson Also Represented Another Celebrity With Whom She Had a Reported Public Spat

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has redirected everyone’s attention to The Menendez Brothers, whose case made headlines back in 1989. Lyle and Erik Menendez brutally murdered their parents in their Beverly Hills home with their incident becoming one of the most high-profile cases in American history.

But one woman remained at the center of the entire legal ordeal: Leslie Abramson, a New York-based lawyer who spent six years working in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office. While she’s renowned for representing the infamous brothers, she has also defended music producer Phil Spector in 2003.

Leslie Abramson Represented Phil Spector in His 2003 Murder Case

Leslie Abramson is one of the most renowned criminal defense attorneys in America who is known for handling many renowned cases like The Menendez Brothers. But she has also represented legendary music producer Phil Spector in his 2003 murder case.

Spector was accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson from a gunshot wound to the mouth. She was found dead at his mansion in Alhambra, California, after meeting him at the House of Blues earlier that night.

The case immediately garnered widespread media attention due to Spector’s fame as well as the brutal nature of the crime. By the time she handled Spector’s case, she had already cemented a strong name in the industry. She replaced Robert Shapiro who was one of the O.J. Simpson’s defense team.

As per the LA Times, she wasn’t initially eager to take on Spector’s job but the case eventually caught her attention.

It’s a very weak case, no matter how you slice it. The physical evidence does not support a murder theory at all. I don’t quite get it.

However, she was later replaced in 2004 by John Gotti’s lawyer, Bruce Cutler. 

It was reported that she and Spector apparently had a public disagreement during an impromptu press conference on May 7, 2004.

As per Town&Country Mag, this incident reportedly happened when Spector interrupted Abramson while she was speaking, prompting her to respond, “Philip, please, darling, I do wish you wouldn’t say things.”

As per CBS News, the former confirmed her resignation stating,

We were put in an untenable position, and we were forced to resign. If we wanted to be ethical and competent, we had to resign.

It was clear at the time that the circumstances regarding representing Spector had become difficult, which led her to ultimately resign from the case. Whereas, Spector’s legal battle continued for years as he eventually got convicted of second-degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

A Brief on The Menendez Brothers’ Case

On the evening of August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez, infamously known as The Menendez Brothers, murdered their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers were armed with 12-gauge shotguns and shot their parents over a dozen times.

As per the incident details via Independent, José had been shot four times, followed by a gun which was forced into his mouth. As for Kitty, she had been hit ten times while she was trying to flee but was ultimately killed by a shot in the face.

After brutally killing their parents, Lyle Menendez called 911 and started sobbing while informing them of the incident. He reported that his parents were already dead when they arrived home.

During the brothers’ trials, which took place from 1993 to 1996, the prosecution argued that they killed their parents to inherit a $14.5 million fortune.

However, their defense team claimed the act should be considered manslaughter rather than murder, citing lifelong abuse by their parents and a threat from their father to kill them if they spoke out.

The Menendez brothers, aged 21 and 18 at the time of the tragic incident were found both brothers guilty on April 17, 1996, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.