Newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that Lyle and Erik Menendez will be evaluated separately for potential resentencing.
The two brothers were both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in connection with the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. Now, Lyle, 56, and Erik, 54, are poised to have their cases reviewed in light of new evidence that could potentially prove their father was sexually abusing them.
Erik and Lyle were tried separately at their first trials before being tried together at their second, at which point they were convicted of first-degree murder.
Hochman’s predecessor, George Gascón, had previously requested a reduced sentence for the brothers in October. The Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing was scheduled for December 11 but was postponed until January 2025.
“This is an important decision, although that decision is not going to get a more rigorous review of the facts and law than any other decision,” Hochman told NBC News.
“While they’re called the Menendez Brothers case, there’s an Erik Menendez case and a Lyle Menendez case,” he continued. “So we will look at each case separately, which is the way they actually should be handled.”
The new DA also removed two deputy district attorneys who had petitioned to have Erik and Lyle’s sentences reduced, per New York Daily News.
“We’re going to go through all that evidence and weigh all the factors and ultimately come to the judge and say, to the judge, here’s all the records,” Hochman told Deadline last week. “Here are your options. And make sure that whatever decision is ultimately made is the best-informed decision possible.”
“I’ve gotten access now to more and more of the files that were confidential, the transcripts from the actual trials,” he went on. “We’re looking through the testimony, as opposed to the highlights of testimony that people have been happy to share. We’re looking at the law dealing with resentencing as well as the law dealing with the habeas situation.”
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Hochman beat Gascon in a landslide and describes himself as “in the middle,” while his predecessor had earned a reputation for being soft on crime.
“I’m telling you I reject [mass incarceration], I reject both extremes,” Hochman told Deadline. “I reject extreme policies. I come down in the middle. I call it the hard work middle, or the hard middle, because it requires you to do the work. Blanket policies are inherently reckless and lazy. The middle requires you look at each case, individually. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Erik and Lyle Menendez were 18 and 21 years old when they killed their parents, citing self-defense as their motive after years of alleged sexual, emotional, and physical abuse.
The prosecution argued that the brothers’ motive was really their $14 million inheritance.
