LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� The district attorney of Los Angeles County said Monday that he does not support the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez because the brothers have repeatedly lied about why they at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Resentencing, which could make the brothers immediately eligible for parole, is just one of the pathways they are pursuing to walk free after their 1996 convictions for murder. District Attorney Nathan Hochman's predecessor, who lost reelection, had backed resentencing, and advocates for the siblings had waited anxiously to see whether the new DA would do the same.
Hochman told reporters his decision hinged on the fact the brothers had failed to take 鈥渃omplete responsibility鈥� for lies told as the case unfolded, including their original claim that they did not kill their parents. He said their repeated argument that they shot their parents in self-defense does not match the facts of the case that show their premeditated steps to plan the killings and make it look like a gang hit.
鈥淭hey have lied to everyone for the last 30 years,鈥� Hochman said.
Hochman compared the Menendez case to that of Sirhan Sirhan, who shot and killed U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. He noted that, like the Menendez brothers, Sirhan had many letters of support and was determined to be a low-risk inmate. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, saying Sirhan still posed an unreasonable threat to the public.
Hochman called it an 鈥渋nstructive case鈥� because, like Sirhan, the Menendez brothers 鈥渇ell short鈥� of taking full responsibility for their crimes.
The county's top prosecutor said he would support resentencing in the future if the brothers 鈥渇inally come clean with the court, with the public, with the DA鈥檚 office, with their own family members and acknowledge all these lies.鈥� He acknowledged the siblings have taken positive steps toward rehabilitation, including earning advanced degrees and repeatedly scoring low on inmate risk assessments.
A resentencing hearing initiated by a court has been scheduled for later in March.
The pair began their in recent years after new evidence of their father鈥檚 sexual abuse emerged, and they of most of their .
Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez slammed Hochman's assertion that the brothers do not meet the standards for resentencing.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be clear: Erik and Lyle are not the same young boys they were more than 30 years ago,鈥� the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition said in a statement Monday. 鈥淭hey have apologized for the horrific actions they took. They have apologized to us. And, they have demonstrated their atonement through actions that have helped improve countless lives. Yet, DA Hochman is effectively asking for them to publicly apologize to a checklist of actions they took in a state of shock and fear.鈥�
Hochman, who took office in December, that he opposed a new trial for the Menendez brothers. The siblings, who are now in their 50s, were sentenced to without parole after being convicted in 1996 of the murders of their entertainment executive father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez.
In October, then-District Attorney George Gasc贸n, whom Hochman defeated in November's election, recommended the brothers be resentenced to 50 years to life, which would make them immediately eligible for parole. Hochman called his predecessor's recommendation a 鈥渄esperate political move.鈥�
Hochman filed a motion to rescind Gasc贸n鈥檚 request that includes a step-by-step analysis of the case showing the brothers crafted alibis and lied to police immediately after the killings.
In addition to pursuing resentencing, the siblings have also submitted a clemency plea to Newsom, who had said he until Hochman reviewed the case. The governor last month whether the brothers would pose a risk to the public if they are released.
Newsom didn't immediately comment on Hochman's news conference. But the governor did announce Monday that he would propose a new parole board process similar to the review the Menendez brothers are undergoing that could clear a path for more prison sentences to be shortened.
Tamara Goodall, a cousin of the brothers, last week asked that Hochman be removed from the case, citing bias. The district attorney rejected that claim.
鈥淚 will follow the facts and the law wherever they take us,鈥� he said.
Christopher Weber, The Associated Press
