The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> County district attorney promised on Saturday to bring down the hammer on any looters or scammers who attempt to exploit the devastating fires raging in the area.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6366958042112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a> that he was warning any would-be criminal that his office would be prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law and throwing the “full book” at anyone arrested. Reports have already come out of Los Angeles of looters going into neighborhoods amid the fires that first responders are still struggling to contain.
“I want to send an unmistakably clear message to those who are thinking about looting, to those who are thinking about burglary, robbery, grand theft, to those who want to get on the internet and defraud people who have suffered this tragedy: you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be punished to the full extent of the law,” Hochman said in an interview.
According to the <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest updates</a> available from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, there are multiple major fires still blazing throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties that are not fully contained. The data show just 11% containment for the Palisades Fire (22,660 acres), 15% containment for the Eaton Fire (14,117 acres), 80% for the Kenneth Fire (1,052 acres), and 76% for the Hurst Fire (799 acres).
Police have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-arrest-arson-suspect-behind-massive-new-california-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already arrested</a> on suspect they believe was behind the Kenneth Fire.
“I know that prior to my taking office, people might have thought you could commit crimes and nothing is going to happen,” Hochman said, referring to the leftist policies of previous DA George Gascon. “Let me assure you: if you get caught &#8212; and you will get caught &#8212; the full book will be thrown at you and maximum punishment will be sought.”
He said that a federal, local, and state task force was being put together to go after looters and scammers.
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“The warning shot is to deter them from doing it in the first place,” he added. “This is your warning. The minute you cross that line, we’re going be coming after you with the full force of the law.”
Previously on Thursday, Hochman promised <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/la-da-punishment-guilty-looters-arsonist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during an interview</a> with NewsNation that “justice will be swift” and that “the day and age of a DA’s office standing on the sidelines is over.”
Hochman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-l-a-county-da-george-gascon-loses-re-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defeated</a> Gascon in November after running on a tough-on-crime platform and promising to bring back law and order.
“The voters of Los Angeles County have spoken and have said enough is enough of D.A. Gascón’s pro-criminal extreme policies; they look forward to a safer future,” Hochman said after his victory.

US-WEATHER-FIRE-EATON

‘Justice Will Be Swift’: L.A. District Attorney Promises To Bring Down Hammer On Looters

Crime

Fire

George Gascon

Law Enforcement

Los Angeles County

U.S.

Wildfires

Newly elected <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles">Los Angeles</a> County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that Lyle and Erik Menendez will be evaluated separately for potential <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime">resentencing</a>. 
The two brothers were both convicted of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">first-degree murder</a> 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 <a href="https://www.nbc.com/nbc-nightly-news/video/exclusive-new-la-district-attorney-weighs-in-on-menendez-case/NBCN220549973">NBC News</a>.
“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 <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/17/erik-lyle-menendez-resentenced-separately-la-da-nathan-hochman/">New York Daily News</a>.
“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,&#8221; 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 <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/12/nathan-hochman-menendez-brothers-los-angeles-sanctuary-laws-1236202300/">Deadline</a>. “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.&#8221;
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.

Menendez Brothers

New Los Angeles County D.A. Will Review Lyle And Erik Mendendez’s Cases Separately

New Los Angeles County D.A. Will Review Lyle And Erik Mendendez's Cases Separately 

California

Courts

District Attorneys

Murder

Erik and Lyle Menendez made their first court appearance in years on Monday as they hope to be resentenced for the 1989 murders of their parents due to possible new evidence, but the judge pushed back the hearing until January. 
The brothers, who were convicted of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime">first-degree murder</a> in 1995 in their second trial, were in the courtroom virtually for a status hearing on a habeas corpus petition their attorneys filed last year, per <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/menendez-brothers-to-face-court-hearing-in-bid-for-freedom/">CBS News</a>. The document states that key evidence was not presented during their trials, which could help prove sexual abuse claims the Menendezes made against their father, which was used as a motive for the killings.
No cameras were allowed in court, and the brothers couldn’t be seen on screen due to technical difficulties, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/25/us/erik-lyle-menendez-brothers-status-hearing/index.html">CNN</a>.
Their attorney, Mark Geragos, said two of the brothers’ aunts spoke in court. 
&#8220;It was quite a moving experience, at least where we sit, to listen to Aunt Terry [Baralt] and Aunt Joan [VanderMolen], who are respectively, Jose and Kitty&#8217;s older sisters,&#8221; Geragos said. &#8220;Both made impassioned pleas with the judge to send the brothers home.&#8221;
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&#8220;I want them home,&#8221; VanderMolen, 92, said in the courtroom on Monday. &#8220;They should have never been in such situations. What can a kid do when his father&#8217;s — I can&#8217;t stand it.&#8221;
“No child should have to endure what Erik and Lyle did,” she continued. “No children should have to live in fear day by day that their dad would come and rape them.”
&#8220;Thirty-five years is a long time,&#8221; Baralt, 85, agreed, saying she would like to “hug them and see them.”
Geragos said the Menendez brothers’ hearing, initially scheduled for December 11, has been pushed back to the end of January.
&#8220;We&#8217;re hoping that by the end of that, or sometime sooner, that we will, in fact, get the brothers released,&#8221; the attorney added.
Current <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> County District Attorney George Gascón, who was just voted out of office, recommended the resentencing, which could lead to the brothers&#8217; release from prison. District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman takes office on December 2. Hochman said the resentencing hearing delay would give him time to review the case and &#8220;consult with prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel, and victim family members.&#8221;
The brothers are currently incarcerated in San Diego. Their first trial ended with two deadlocked juries. In the second, both were sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Not all family members believe that the Menendez brothers should be released, however. Milton Anderson, Kitty Menendez’s brother, said they should remain incarcerated.

Menendez brothers

Menendez Bros Resentencing Hearing Delayed, Aunt Tells Court: ‘I Want Them Home’

Menendez Bros Resentencing Hearing Delayed, Aunt Tells Court: 'I Want Them Home'

Beverly Hills

The district attorney who refused to seek the maximum sentence for Laken Riley’s killer is one of three Soros-backed prosecutors to lose re-election this month.
District Attorney (DA) Deborah Gonzalez of Georgia’s Western Judicial Circuit, who made headlines for her soft treatment of convicted murderer Jose Ibarra, lost her re-election to challenger Kalki Yalamanchili by over 75% of the vote. 
Gonzalez was an active member of the organization Fair &amp; Just Prosecution (FJP), a Leftist advocacy group funded by billionaire George Soros, which dictates both the public policy and private staffing of prosecutorial offices around the country.
FJP’s efforts to hijack American justice were detailed in <a href="https://mrcfreespeechamerica.org/blogs/business/tim-kilcullen-joseph-vazquez-tom-olohan-dan-schneider/2024/08/12/law-dis-order-how" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media Research Center’s August exposé</a>: “How The Soros Machine Directs and Controls Prosecutors Across America to Implement His Leftist Agenda.”
Gonzalez was joined in defeat by fellow FJP members including Los Angeles County DA George Gascón and Alameda County DA Pamela Price. Gascón and Price were two of the last three remaining members of another Soros group, the censorship-obsessed Prosecutors Alliance of California, which worked closely with Governor Gavin Newsom to push an anti-police and anti-free speech agenda.
Gascón, one of the founders of Prosecutors Alliance, lost to challenger Nathan Hochman by <a href="https://results.lavote.gov/#year=2024&amp;election=4324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 600,000 votes</a>. Similarly, Prosecutors Alliance member Price lost her recall election by <a href="https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 30%</a>. Their defeat has dealt a crushing blow to the organization and the Soros Machine backing it. Contra Costa County DA Diana Becton remains, and is arguably now <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/diana-becton-prosecutor-da-19895432.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California’s most radically Left-wing prosecutor</a>.
Ibarra, a Venezuelan national released into the United States by the Biden-Harris Department of Homeland Security (DHS), beat Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley to death on February 22 of this year. Gonzalez chose not to pursue the death penalty, even though Ibarra had also attempted to rape Riley in broad daylight and had previously been charged with assaulting a child. Ibarra was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jose-ibarra-found-guilty-of-killing-georgia-nursing-student-laken-riley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted of Riley’s murder</a> on November 20, just weeks after Yalamanchili’s victory.
Gascón, who was previously San Francisco DA, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240507003211/https://www.thenation.com/article/society/prosecutors-alliance-california/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created the Prosecutors Alliance of California in 2020</a> with Cristine Soto Deberry, a Marin County politician and Newsom’s former deputy chief of staff. The Prosecutors Alliance, which was backed by the Soros-funded Tides Advocacy, was designed to be a far-Left replacement for the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA), which Gascón had <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240507003731/https://theappeal.org/politicalreport/george-gascon-leaves-californias-district-attorney-association/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">very publicly quit</a>. 
In August 2024, the Media Research Center (MRC) <a href="https://mrcfreespeechamerica.org/blogs/business/tim-kilcullen-joseph-vazquez-tom-olohan-dan-schneider/2024/08/12/law-dis-order-how" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published detailed communications</a> between the Prosecutors Alliance members showing their <a href="https://cdn.mrc.org/static/pdfuploads/Soros+Report_Law%26DisOrder.pdf-1723647180299.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">close relationship</a> with Newsom and FJP. FJP pressured the Alliance’s members to sign pledges vowing to refuse to enforce certain laws that ran afoul of leftist political positions.
In one instance, FJP got Prosecutor Alliance attorneys to pledge that it was a “<a href="https://cdn.mrc.org/static/pdfuploads/CommsBrady-List-Sign-On-Release-FINAL.pdf-1719622302665.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prosecutor’s obligation</a>” to create blacklists of police officers who would not be permitted to testify in court — thereby undermining the officers’ careers. To implement the blacklist for Los Angeles County, Gascón’s director for ethics has been accused of <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/los-angeles-da-aide-arraigned-on-improper-confidential-law-enforcement-records-use-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegally accessing private county personnel database files</a> to obtain the records of “over 1,600 statutorily-protected peace officer files” — a serious crime for which she was indicted.
Gascón was sued separately for over $1.5 million for retaliation against attorneys who objected to his unlawful order that they not pursue prosecutions under certain California “criminal cases involving minors, including his blanket ban on trying juveniles as adults,” <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/los-angeles-da-aide-arraigned-on-improper-confidential-law-enforcement-records-use-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Los Angeles Times</a>. The lawsuit was successful.
The Prosecutors Alliance successfully lobbied the California State Senate to pass a police censorship bill which mandated that elected prosecutors who accept campaign contributions from organizations supporting law enforcement (including unions) give up their authority to prosecute police officers. Had the censorship bill been enacted, police would effectively have been forbidden from using their own money for political advocacy against the millions in propaganda against them.
When the California State Assembly refused to pass the Prosecutors Alliance’s censorship legislation, the group’s attorneys lobbied the state bar association to bypass the legislature and impose the speech restrictions via their own byzantine internal procedure.
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The Prosecutors Alliance’s members were Gascón, Price, Contra Costa County DA Diana Becton, San Francisco City &amp; County DA Chesa Boudin and San Joaquin County DA Tori Verber Salazar. Berkeley, Long Beach, Glendale, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and Stockton were among the many cities under the Prosecutors Alliance attorneys’ jurisdiction.
In 2022, Boudin lost his recall election and Verber Salazar <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/los-angeles-da-aide-arraigned-on-improper-confidential-law-enforcement-records-use-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost her primary re-election bid</a>. Becton’s term is set to expire in 2026, but she may be <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/los-angeles-da-aide-arraigned-on-improper-confidential-law-enforcement-records-use-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removed from office early</a> via a recall election.
Remaining Soros prosecutors like Becton face a new foe in tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Musk has pledged to use his patriotic advocacy group America PAC to further combat Soros’s influence over America’s justice system.
“Something has to be done to kind of counter the damage that Soros has done to the American system,” Musk pledged in an <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/los-angeles-da-aide-arraigned-on-improper-confidential-law-enforcement-records-use-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">election day video</a> uploaded to his social media platform, X. “America PAC&#8217;s going [t] aim to weigh in heavily on the midterms and intermediate elections, as well as just doing common sense stuff like having DAs who prosecute violent criminals who are obviously a danger to people.”
* * *
Conservatives are under attack. Contact Governor Gavin Newsom and tell him to renounce his support for the Prosecutors Alliance of California. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/los-angeles-da-aide-arraigned-on-improper-confidential-law-enforcement-records-use-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact form</a>, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
* * *
Tim Kilcullen is Counsel for Investigations at the Media Research Center.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón will announce his decision regarding the potential resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez.

Post-Election Fallout For Soros-Backed Prosecutors

George Soros

Los Angeles

Media Research Center

prosecutors

Far-Left Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón lost his re-election bid on Tuesday night to Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who has vowed to go tough on crime.
With 59% of the vote reporting, Hochman was <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/gascon-likely-out-as-district-attorney-as-hochman-surges-toward-landslide-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading</a> Gascón 61% to 39% as of Wednesday morning. Gascón&#8217;s leftist policies will come to an end after he served just one term as DA.
After pushing for zero-bail policies and more lenient sentences for criminals, Gascón bled much of his support and trailed for most of the 2024 campaign, KTLA <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/gascon-likely-out-as-district-attorney-as-hochman-surges-toward-landslide-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. One of his final acts before the election was to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/da-george-gascon-wants-menendez-brothers-resentenced-possibly-freed-from-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seek reduced sentences</a> for the Menendez brothers who were convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole after murdering their parents in 1989. The Menendez brothers&#8217; story was made popular by a Netflix series that came out earlier this year.
Hochman <a href="https://x.com/NathanHochmanDA/status/1824904833226420716" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Gascón&#8217;s soft-on-crime policies throughout the campaign. &#8220;I am running for District Attorney of Los Angeles County to restore safety, fairness and justice to our community. I will fairly enforce our laws, institute effective criminal justice reform and make our public safety my #1 priority,&#8221; Hochman said in one of his final pitches to voters on Election Day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I am running for District Attorney of Los Angeles County to restore safety, fairness and justice to our community. I will fairly enforce our laws, institute effective criminal justice reform and make our public safety my #1 priority. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GasconMustGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GasconMustGo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HochmanForDA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HochmanForDA</a> <a href="https://t.co/5ZeVEUVHTs">pic.twitter.com/5ZeVEUVHTs</a>
&mdash; Nathan Hochman (@NathanHochmanDA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanHochmanDA/status/1853920226582159856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gascón was elected in 2020 following a wave of protests and riots in the wake of George Floyd&#8217;s death in police custody. After taking office, he immediately began implementing leftist policies. Gascòn was a polarizing figure in L.A. and survived two recall efforts in his four years in office.
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Hochman has vowed to reverse many of Gascón&#8217;s policies, according to KTLA.
&#8220;The voters of Los Angeles County have spoken and have said enough is enough of D.A. Gascón&#8217;s pro-criminal extreme policies; they look forward to a safer future,&#8221; Hochman said in a statement early Wednesday, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/nathan-hochman-ousts-embattled-liberal-prosecutor-george-gascon-la-county-da-amid-crime-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. &#8220;As D.A., I look forward to representing all of the people, whether they voted for me or not, since their safety will be my responsibility.&#8221;

George Gascòn

Leftist L.A. County DA George Gascón Loses Re-Election

2024 Election

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles-county">Los Angeles</a> District Attorney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-gascon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Gascó</a>n is recommending that Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced for the first-degree <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">murders</a> of their parents in 1989. One of his colleagues says this is nothing but a political stunt.
Gascón <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/da-george-gascon-wants-menendez-brothers-resentenced-possibly-freed-from-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made his recommendation</a> on Thursday after weeks of speculation that it was coming. While the final decision on the Menendez brothers’ fate will come from a judge, the DA’s recommendation will be considered in the ruling. 
Erik and Lyle were originally sentenced to life without parole. But the case has been in the news again following the release of popular documentaries, including a season of Netflix’s “Monsters” in September. Supporters of the Menendez brothers argue that the murders of their parents were justified because they claimed their father sexually abused them.
&#8220;I believe they have paid their debt to society,&#8221; Gascón said of the Menendez brothers during a news conference on Thursday. 
However, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin says Gascón is only focused on this case to draw attention away from the negative publicity he’s gotten recently. 
“George Gascón is in the process of suffering the worst and most humiliating defeat by an elected district attorney in probably the history of the United States,” Lewin <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6363740414112">told</a> Fox &amp; Friends host Ainsley Earhardt. “He is down 30 points. He has no money. And because of that, what he’s had to do is to try and generate as much publicity as he can.” 
Lewin goes on to explain how the day before Gascón announced he was going to have another look at the Menendez case, there was a story in the LA Times discussing how he had refused to prosecute a juvenile double murder suspect, who subsequently went on to murder again.
The deputy DA also mentioned that even if the Menendez brothers were sexually abused by their father as they claimed, it wouldn’t be justification for murder. 
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
“They executed their parents. Basically blew them apart with shotguns … they ended up spending a bunch of money, and they opened the safe the next morning because they were very worried that there was a will.”
Lewin called the resentencing recommendation a “publicity stunt.” 
“George Gascón has 15,000 unfiled cases, including a bunch of sex cases, that he’s not paying attention to at all because they don’t generate publicity. This is a publicity stunt designed to basically bait and switch the electorate.”
The next court date for the Menendez brothers is slated for November 26.

Deputy DA Says George Gascón’s Menendez Resentencing Decision Is Just A Political Ploy

Deputy DA Says George Gascón's Menendez Resentencing Decision Is Just A Political Ploy

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-gascon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Gascón</a>, district attorney for Los Angeles County, will seek a reduced sentence in the case of two brothers imprisoned after murdering their parents in 1989.
Gascón announced his decision to seek resentencing in the case of Erik and Joseph Menendez on Thursday. If a judge grants Gascón’s request to resentence the Menendez brothers, the pair could be made eligible for parole.
“After very careful review of all the arguments … I came to a place where I believe that, under the law, resentencing is appropriate, and I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow,” Gascón said on Thursday afternoon, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/menendez-brothers-prosecutor-announces-resentencing-decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
Gascón plans to ask the court to resentence the Menendez brothers to 50 years to life with the possibility of parole, a term longer than the sentence they have currently served. The brothers would be immediately eligible for parole under state law, however, because they committed their crime when they were not yet 26 years old.
“I believe that they have paid their debt to society,” Gascón said, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/us/menendez-brothers-prison-sentence.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
The Menendez brothers ambushed their parents in the living room of their Beverly Hills home in 1989, fatally shooting them with shotguns. The brothers were put on trial for murder, but the case ended in a mistrial. The brothers were tried a second time and convicted in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The brothers, now in their 50s, were 21 and 18 years old at the time of the murders. They have served 34 years behind bars.
In his announcement Thursday, Gascón cited a recent Netflix documentary on the Menendez brothers’ case in his decision to seek resentencing. The documentary, he said, “brought a tremendous amount of public attention” to the case.
Gascón is currently in a tough reelection battle against Republican-turned-independent Nathan Hochman, who previously served as the president of the L.A. City Ethics Commission and as an assistant U.S. attorney general. Earlier this month, Gascón <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-10-08/hochmans-lead-over-gascon-grows-to-30-in-new-la-da-race-poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trailed</a> Hochman by 30 points in a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll.
During their trial, the Menendez brothers claimed they had been sexually abused by their father. They allegedly killed their parents fearing that their father intended to kill the brothers to keep them silent about the molestation.
Gascón said that, after reviewing the evidence, he now believes the brothers’ claims of molestation.
The brothers’ uncle, Milton Andersen, opposes the resentencing and requested on Wednesday that the court reject any effort to release the brothers.
“It’s Milton Andersen’s continued belief that the claims of molestation were made up, and they were false, and he believes that the correct verdict was issued by the jury and the correct sentence was also committed,” Andersen’s attorney told Fox News.

DA George Gascón Wants Menendez Brothers Resentenced, Possibly Freed From Prison

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles">Los Angeles</a> County District Attorney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-gascon">George Gascón</a> said he does not believe that Erik and Lyle Menendez are a danger to society.
The brothers have been in prison for the past three decades after being convicted of the first-degree <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">murders</a> of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Gascón says he has been reviewing the evidence, including new revelations, to make his recommendation about a possible resentencing. The two brothers were sentenced to life in prison at their second trial after the first ended in a mistrial.
A judge will make the final decision on what happens to the Menendez brothers now.
“Based on everything that I know, I don&#8217;t believe that they are [a threat to society],” Gascón told <a href="https://people.com/menendez-brothers-resentencing-not-danger-society-da-says-exclusive-8731524">People</a> in an interview published Tuesday. “Quite frankly, they probably haven&#8217;t been for a very long time, if they ever were. I think this is not like they were going around killing people or robbing people on the street.&#8221;
Many supporters of the brothers argue that the charges should be downgraded to manslaughter due to accusations of sexual molestation at the hands of their father. 
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“There are some people in my office that believe that there is no evidence of molestation. I don&#8217;t agree with that, but that&#8217;s certainly the position that some people have taken, and they believe that they should stay in prison the rest of their life,” Gascón told the outlet. “There are other people in the office that believe that there&#8217;s probably some evidence of molestation and there is additionally evidence of rehabilitation. So, I mean, certainly we have some issues.&#8221;
“If in fact they have rehabilitated as is being alleged, and we&#8217;re reviewing all of that, they have been in prison for almost 35 years,&#8221; he continued. 
&#8220;Thirty-five years is a long time to be in prison. And especially when you look at the circumstances behind this case, it just seems to me that at some point there has to be a place for redemption and rehabilitation. But again, whether I believe that they should or shouldn&#8217;t be in prison the rest of their life, it&#8217;s not necessarily what is going to alter my final decision. My final decision is going to be really evaluating the law.”
Menendez family members held a press conference outside the DA’s office last week, pleading for the sentences to be reevaluated, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/menendez-family-pressures-d-a-to-resentence-brothers-calls-for-their-release-from-prison">reported</a>. 
Gascón <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/da-resentencing-menendez-brothers-decision-end-of-week/story?id=115049971">said</a> at an unrelated news conference Tuesday night that he would make a decision on a resentencing recommendation by the end of this week. The next court date for the Menendez brothers is slated for November 26.

Los Angeles County DA Says Menendez Bros Are No Threat To Society As Potential Resentencing Looms

Members of the Menendez family held a rally outside <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles-county">Los Angeles County</a> District Attorney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-gascon">George Gascón</a>’s office Wednesday, voicing their desire to have brothers Lyle and Erik resentenced and possibly released from prison.
The siblings have been behind bars for 34 years after being found guilty of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">murdering</a> their parents in 1989. Now, their <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime">defense team</a> is arguing that new evidence, including the accusation that the boys’ father, Jose Menendez, sexually abused an underage member of Menudo, a 1980s boy band, should be sufficient to get the case reevaluated. 
During their first trial, the brothers said they had been sexually abused by their father, which is what prompted them to commit murder.
&#8220;I had no idea the extent of the abuse they suffered at the hands of my brother-in-law. None of us did,&#8221; Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez&#8217;s sister, said. &#8220;We know that abuse has long effects, and victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand.&#8221;
&#8220;The whole world was not ready to hear that boys could be raped,&#8221; she said, per <a href="https://abc7.com/post/menendez-brothers-family-erik-lyle-speak-news-conference-los-angeles/15434232/">ABC News</a>. &#8220;Today we know better.&#8221;
Erik and Lyle’s cousin Anamaria Baralt said the brothers were “victims of a culture that was not ready to listen.”
“Lyle and Erik deserve a chance to heal,” she said, per <a href="https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/menendez-brothers-family-press-conference-free-brothers-1236180061/">Variety</a>. “Our family deserves a chance to heal with them.”
The press conference attracted a crowd of almost 100 media members outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, plus dozens of spectators standing nearby, the outlet noted.
The defense is hoping to have the charges downgraded to manslaughter in light of the alleged sexual abuse the brothers say they experienced. Mark Geragos, an attorney for the brothers, said the understanding of sexual abuse has changed over the past three decades.
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The demand for their release comes less than two weeks after Gascón said his office would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-county-da-will-reevaluate-menendez-brothers-murder-case">review new evidence</a> in connection with the case. A hearing is set for November 26 to evaluate the proceedings.
The D.A.’s office said in a <a href="https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/statement-los-angeles-county-district-attorney-s-office-ongoing-review-menendez-brothers">statement</a> that it is “exploring every avenue available to our office to ensure justice is served.”
“Prosecutors are still seeking full documentation of the defense’s claims,” the statement said. “The office is working as quickly as justice permits,” adding that they have “empathy for all the victims involved in these tragic incidents.”
There has been renewed attention on the trial and its outcome since the release of a Peacock docseries and Netflix drama series. Both brothers and their lawyer condemned the Netflix series, however.
Geragos called it “a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare that is not only riddled with mistruths and outright falsehoods but ignores the most recent exculpatory revelations.”
Not all of the Menendez brothers&#8217; relatives are calling for resentencing. Milton Anderson, Kitty Menendez&#8217;s brother, believes they should remain incarcerated.

Menendez Family Pressures D.A. To Resentence Brothers, Calls For Their Release From Prison

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles">Los Angeles</a> County District Attorney George Gascón on Thursday announced that his office would review the infamous Menendez brothers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime">murder</a> case more than 30 years after the killings.
Gascón said new evidence has emerged that could strengthen allegations that the siblings had been sexually abused, which has previously been presented as a motive for Lyle Menendez, then 20, and younger brother Erik, 18, to fatally shoot their parents at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. The molestation accusations were presented in the first trial, which ended with a hung jury. Much of the evidence was withheld for their second trial when they were convicted of first-degree murder. Both remain behind bars.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not leaning in any direction right now,&#8221; Gascón said, per <a href="https://people.com/menendez-brothers-district-attorney-keeping-open-mind-push-release-8721688">People</a>. &#8220;We have people in the office that are looking at this very carefully, very experienced lawyers that are looking at this. Their recommendation will be presented to me, but the final decision will be mine.&#8221;
&#8220;We are reviewing the information, but I think it&#8217;s also important that we recognize that both men and women can be the victims of sexual assault,&#8221; he continued, saying that his office has &#8220;a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us.”
&#8220;If there was evidence that was not presented to the court at that time, and had that evidence been presented, perhaps a jury would have come to a different conclusion,&#8221; the DA concluded.
This latest update in the case follows a petition created last year on behalf of the brothers after the release of the Peacock docuseries, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.” The project included the child sex abuse allegations and also alleged that the boys’ father, music executive Jose Menendez, had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, the outlet noted.
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The update from the Los Angeles County DA comes on the heels of the recently-released <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> miniseries “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” The popular series doesn’t attempt to paint the brothers as innocent or justified in the murders.
Series creator Ryan Murphy said last week he wasn’t trying to be an “advocate” for the brothers.
“I believe in justice, but I don’t believe in being a part of that machine,” Murphy said, per <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/columns/ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-out-of-prison-christmas-1236167921/">Variety</a>. “That’s not my job. My job as an artist was to tell a perspective in a particular story. I feel I’ve done that, but I wish them well.”
“We gave them their moment in the court of public opinion. Basically, we did give them a platform,” the series creator added. “I think they can be out of prison by Christmas. I really believe that.”
Erik has previously released a statement slamming the series, but Murphy said the newfound attention could result in the brothers getting out of prison.
“The thing that’s kind of painful is that the family was so outrageously against the show and spoke out so vociferously against it. But then the thing that they thought would hurt them is actually helping them,” said Murphy. “That doesn’t feel so great.”

Los Angeles County DA Will ‘Reevaluate’ Menendez Brothers Murder Case

Los Angeles County DA Will 'Reevaluate' Menendez Brothers Murder Case 

Entertainment

Netflix

Three of the four men arrested for the alleged murder of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor have been previously arrested and released, and Wactor&#8217;s best friend says their cases are the result of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s policies.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that it had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/4-suspects-arrested-in-fatal-shooting-of-general-hospital-actor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested four men</a> – all members of the Florencia 13 gang – in connection to the murder of Wactor on May 25. The four suspects are: Robert Barceleau, 18, of Huntington Park; Leonel Gutierrez, 18, of Los Angeles County; Sergio Estrada, 18, of Los Angeles County; and Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood.
Micah Parker, Wactor&#8217;s best friend, blames the death of his friend on the men believed to be involved and on L.A. District Attorney George Gascón’s soft-on-crime policies.
“This has become a very pro-criminal city, straight up.” Parker told The Daily Wire in an interview. “Everything has to be ‘oh, well, what’s the background, what’s their life like?’ But no, it should be, ‘you break the law, you pay the price,’ and with George Gascón’s policies, it’s very much gotten away from that.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
The men arrested for murdering General Hospital star Johnny Wactor had all already been arrested in Los Angeles — but were released under liberal DA George Gascón. <a href="https://twitter.com/AsheSchow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AsheSchow</a> just interviewed Wactor&#8217;s best friend, who says LA has turned into a &#8220;pro-criminal city&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/1K8Lw6GFU5">pic.twitter.com/1K8Lw6GFU5</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1824540742980866087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Barceleau, Gutierrez, and Estrada – the three 18-year-olds – were arrested on suspicion of murder, while 22-year-old Olano is believed to be an accessory. All four are being held in lieu of a $2 million bond.
Inmate records reviewed by The Daily Wire show that Barceleau, Gutierrez, and Olano all have previous arrests, with Olano having a previous conviction. Barceleau and Gutierrez were both arrested and released after Wactor’s murder, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/arrests-made-in-los-angeles-shooting-death-of-general-hospital-actor-johnny-wactor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The fact that these men had been arrested and released – some prior to Wactor’s murder – didn’t sit well with Parker.
“It’s infuriating,” Parker said. “[Olano] was arrested before the murder, imagine if [he] had stayed in jail, maybe none of this would have happened. And they had them in custody – one of them, 11 days after the murder – and yet, they were released on bond. After an assault with a deadly weapon charge.”
Eleven days after Wactor was murdered, Barceleau was arrested for an assault with a deadly weapon. He was also arrested in July for an undisclosed misdemeanor. He received a citation for the misdemeanor and was released on $125,000 bail for the assault with a deadly weapon charge.
Gutierrez was arrested for felony vandalism on July 19, nearly a month before he was arrested for Wactor’s murder. The reason given for his release was that he was a juvenile, even though he is 18.
Frank Olano had been arrested twice before Wactor’s murder, once in 2022 for a felony, and again in 2023 for two more charges, including another felony, for which he spent a few days in jail. Olano received probation for felony vandalism during Wactor’s murder, CBS reported.
Gascón survived a recall election but faces a hard-fought re-election bid against challenger Nathan Hochman.

Johnny Wactor

‘A Pro-Criminal City’: Friend Of Murdered Actor Reacts To News That Killers Should Have Already Been In Jail

Men Charged With Killing 'General Hospital' Actor Johnny Wactor Were Arrested And Released Multiple Times

Celebrity

Hollywood

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón&#8217;s office says that the rap mogul Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs cannot be charged for his alleged violent attack in 2016 on his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura because the statute of limitations has expired.
&#8220;We are aware of the video that has been circulating online allegedly depicting Sean Combs assaulting a young woman in Los Angeles,&#8221; the district attorney&#8217;s office said in a statement posted to social media.
&#8220;We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted. As of today, law enforcement has not presented a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services.&#8221;
CNN exclusively <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-video-emerges-of-sean-diddy-combs-allegedly-beating-girlfriend">obtained video</a> of the incident late last week — which appears to have happened on March 5, 2016 — at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
The video purportedly shows Combs running down the hall after Ventura and catching up to her as she waits for an elevator.
Combs allegedly grabbed her, threw her on the ground, kicked her, and attempted to drag her back to the hotel room.
She later slowly gets up and picks up a phone on the wall near the elevator as Combs walks back to the hotel room with her bags.
He later returned and appeared to shove her into a corner before sitting on a nearby chair and allegedly throwing an object at her.
Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs in November, accusing the music mogul of abuse.
Combs settled the lawsuit the following day.
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Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, said that Combs “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.”
“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” he added. “Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
The release of the video comes after federal law enforcement officials with the Department of Homeland Security executed raids on two homes belonging to Combs in March in connection to an alleged sex trafficking investigation.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/celebrity-world-slams-sean-diddy-combs-after-alleged-attack-video-surfaces">Celebrity World Slams Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After Alleged Attack Video Surfaces</a>

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