HAZLETON, Pa. — Roughly 54 years ago, Jose Menendez left Cuba when he was 16 and moved to Hazelton. During the infamous Menendez trial in 1993, Newswatch16's Stacey Sager tracked down some of his former classmates from Hazleton High School.
“Menendez only attended the high school for two years, but we're told he was one of the stars of the swimming team and a good student. Laputka knew him because they swam on the team together,” said Stacey Sager in her 1993 report.
“He was a person who took care of himself, and swam hard and was driven, very serious minded individual," said Ted Laputka, a classmate of Jose Menendez.
However, Sarger reports that this is not how many people at Hazleton High School knew him. After Menendez graduated, many didn't hear from him again.
“One classmate put it best, he said 'Menendez lost track of us and we lost track of him, and therefore at this point it would be difficult to think of him as a lost brother," said Sager in her report.
Another classmate Sager talked to didn't know Jose Menendez all too well and was shocked when he heard he was killed by his sons.
“We would wonder there was perhaps something in the family before this all happened that no one knew about," said Dale Stewart, a classmate of Jose Menendez.
Now, almost 30 years after the infamous Menendez trial, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said there may be evidence of what Stewart was wondering about.
"There are people in the office that believe they should be released immediately and that they were molested. I do believe the brothers were subjected to a tremendous amount of dysfunction in the home and molestation," said George Gascon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
Gascon said they will file for resentencing on Friday. If a judge approves the resentencing, the Menendez brothers could get parole. A court date has not yet been set.