The Menendez brothers most surprising advocate is a tough-on-crime ex-judge who uses dogs to soften criminals: What rehabilitation in prison looks like
A retired tough-on-crime judge has become a surprising advocate for allowing Erik and Lyle Menendez to be released on parole after the shotgun murders of their parents more than three decades ago.And it was all because of his beloved golden retrievers.Ex-Miami criminal court judge Jonathan T.
Colby has visited the brothers numerous times in prison in the last 10 years, accompanied by his pups, as part of an outreach program that uses dogs to soften the hearts of hardened killers.Colby has touched more than just the Menendez brothers with his work for the Love on a Leash pet therapy nonprofit.Sirhan Sirhan, who has been behind bars since the 1968 murder of Robert F.
Kennedy, “cried like a baby” when he met Colby’s golden retriever Grace, he told The Post.But what he saw in the brothers astounded him.Other inmates praised the convicted killers for transforming the prison yard’s vibe by “painting these incredible murals throughout the whole [prison] yard,” Colby said.The brothers painted murals “honoring the veterans that are in prison, both guards and inmates,” and others showing Disney characters.Colby, 67, said one mural stood out.
It shows the Coronado dog beach in San Diego near the famous Hotel Del Coronado, where pooches paddle in the water.Colby recounted how the Menendez brothers told him, “We know we will never be able to see it.So we got a picture of it.
We painted it up on one of the walls with a golden retriever, so we could enjoy it too.”Colby testified in favor of Lyle and Erik Menendez being resentenced at a hearing earlier this month after family members argued that their case should be reevaluated, in part because of new evidence that the boys were sexually abused.He was joined by many members of the brothers’ family.Following the hearing, on May 13, a judge ruled that the brothers’ sentence of life in prison without parole should be knocked down — making them eligible to be released by the parole board.Los Angeles Count...