The district attorney of Los Angeles County said Monday that he does not support the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the brothers who admitted to killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who took office in December, said last month that he opposed a new trial for the Menendez brothers. The siblings were convicted in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, Hochman said his decision hinged on whether the brothers had exhibited “insight and complete responsibility” into lies told during their original trial, including their original claims that they did not kill their parents.
In October, then-District Attorney George Gascón 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.”
The brothers, who are now in their 50s, were found guilty in the murders of their entertainment executive father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez.
They 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.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom last month ordered the state parole board to investigate whether the brothers would pose a risk to the public if they are released.
The brothers have another pathway to freedom. They have also submitted a clemency plea to Newsom, who has said he would not make a decision until Hochman reviewed the case.
