Some may think the Menendez brothers’ fates are inseparable, but Los Angeles County. Atty. Nathan Hochman said he wouldn’t view the two men as a package deal when making a decision on possible resentencing.
“Although they’re called the ‘Menendez Brothers’ case,’ there’s also the Eric Menendez case and the Lyle Menendez case,” Hodgman told NBC’s Lester Hall special. “So we’re going to look at each case individually and that’s how they should actually be handled.”
The famous brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996 for murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers have returned to the spotlight this year following two popular television shows about their case and renewed efforts by prosecutors to lower sentences based on recently emerged evidence.
Front area. Atty. George Gascón previously recommended that the judge sentence the brothers to 50 years to life in prison, which would make them eligible for immediate parole.
But then Hochman defeated Gascón in the November election and announced he would reconsider the decision.
In November, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic decided to postpone the brothers’ resentencing hearing from December 11 to January 30 and 31. And give the new district attorney a chance.
This week, Hochman told NBC News he was working to “read thousands of pages of confidential prison documents,” but he gave no indication of his preference. He said he would talk to everyone in his office “who has had any contact with the Menendez case” before making a decision.
However, according to Variety , Hochman recently fired two deputy district attorneys who had worked with Gascón in recommending lower sentences for the brothers.
The latest effort to free them came after the brothers’ defense team filed a habeas corpus petition last year, arguing that new evidence supported allegations that the brothers were victims of sexual abuse.
In the original case, prosecutors argued that the boys’ motive for killing was to gain access to a $14 million inheritance, while the defense team argued that they were sexually abused after years of sexual abuse by their father, Jose Menendez. The action was in self-defense.
The new evidence includes a letter that attorneys say Erik Menendez wrote about sexual abuse he suffered as a teenager before the killings, and a letter from Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo. Rosselló makes new claims, Roy Rosselló makes new claims Roy Rosselló makes new claims, says he was also raped by Jose Menende Si rape.
Gascón has previously said he supports the resentencing because he believes society’s views on child sexual assault have changed dramatically since the original trial and could lead to a different verdict from a modern jury.
Lawyers for the brothers are also seeking clemency from Gov. Gavin Newsom. However, Newsom said in November that he would delay a decision until Hochman had a chance to review the case.
