Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has announced his opposition to the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, shutting down a legal avenue that could have led to their parole eligibility.
The decision marks a sharp departure from Hochman’s predecessor, George Gascón, who had sought a reduction in their life sentences. The Menendez brothers were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, a crime they claim was driven by years of sexual and physical abuse rather than financial gain.
Speaking at a news conference, Hochman argued that the brothers’ self-defence claim was “fabricated” and part of a broader pattern of “lies.” He insisted they had not shown “full insight into their crimes,” which, he said, justified maintaining their life sentences.
Gascón, a progressive prosecutor who lost re-election in 2024, had previously pushed for their sentences to be reduced to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole. He argued that the Menendez brothers had been rehabilitated after more than three decades in prison.
However, Hochman accused Gascón of exploiting the case for publicity and stated that his office would only reconsider its position if the brothers “completely accept responsibility for their lies of self-defence and the attempted suborning of perjury they engaged in.”
The resentencing hearing is scheduled for 20 and 21 March in California.
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