Professor Jamie Cooper was a panelist for “Masculinity, Law, and Justice: The Trial of the Menendez Brothers,” an interdisciplinary conversation regarding how masculinity, family dynamics, class, race and media influence intersected with the legal implications of the Menendez Brothers' murder case in the 1990s, and how the same themes resonate strongly today.
The panelists discussed the idea of masculinity in the 1990s and how the theme influenced the jurors during both murder trials of the Menendez Brothers, young men who were charged and convicted of brutally killing their mother and father after suffering years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. The panelists identified the complexities surrounding the Menendez Brothers' murders and conviction, and how the trials became a significant cultural moment in United States history.
