LA district attorney says he won’t support resentencing the Menendez
brothers because they lied
[March 11, 2025]
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 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 killed
their parents 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 “complete responsibility” 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.
“They have lied to everyone for the last 30 years,” 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 blocked his parole
in 2022, saying Sirhan still posed an unreasonable threat to the public.
Hochman called it an “instructive case” because, like Sirhan, the
Menendez brothers “fell short” of taking full responsibility for their
crimes.
The county's top prosecutor said he would support resentencing in the
future if the brothers “finally come clean with the court, with the
public, with the DA’s office, with their own family members and
acknowledge all these lies.” 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 bid for freedom in recent years after new evidence
of their father’s sexual abuse emerged, and they have the support of
most of their extended family.
Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez slammed Hochman's assertion
that the brothers do not meet the standards for resentencing.
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This combination of two booking photos provided by the California
Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle
Menendez. (California Dept. of Corrections via AP, File)
“Let’s be clear: Erik and Lyle are not the same young boys they were
more than 30 years ago,” the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition
said in a statement Monday. “They 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.”
Hochman, who took office in December, said last month that he
opposed a new trial for the Menendez brothers. The siblings, who are
now in their 50s, were sentenced to life in prison 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 Gascón, 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 “desperate political move.”
Hochman filed a motion to rescind Gascón’s 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 would not make
a decision until Hochman reviewed the case. The governor last month
ordered the state parole board to investigate 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.
“I will follow the facts and the law wherever they take us,” he
said.
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