L.A. district attorney says he won’t support re-sentencing the Menendez brothers because they lied

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez appear in court for a preliminary hearing held in Beverly Hills, Calif., April 12, 1991. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

LOS ANGELES — The district attorney of Los Angeles County said Monday that he does not support the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez because the brothers have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters his decision hinged on whether the brothers had taken “complete responsibility” for lies told as the case unfolded, including their original claim that they did not kill their parents. He said their repeated argument that they shot their parents in self-defense does not match the facts of the case that show their premeditated steps to plan the killings and make it look like a gang hit.

“They have lied to everyone for the last 30 years,” Hochman said.

Hochman compared the Menendez case to that of Sirhan Sirhan, who shot and killed U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. He noted that, like the Menendez brothers, Sirhan had many letters of support and was determined to be a low-risk inmate. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom blocked his parole in 2022, saying Sirhan still posed an unreasonable threat to the public.

Hochman called it an “instructive case” because, like Sirhan, the Menendez brothers “fell short” of taking full responsibility for their crimes.

The county’s top prosecutor said he would support resentencing in the future if the brothers “finally come clean with the court, with the public, with the DA’s office, with their own family members and acknowledge all these lies.” He acknowledged the siblings have taken positive steps toward rehabilitation, including earning advanced degrees and repeatedly scoring low on inmate risk assessments.

A resentencing hearing initiated by a court has been scheduled for later in March.

The pair 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.

Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez slammed Hochman’s assertion that the brothers do not meet the standards for resentencing.

“Let’s be clear: Erik and Lyle are not the same young boys they were more than 30 years ago,” the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition said in a statement Monday. “They have apologized for the horrific actions they took. They have apologized to us. And, they have demonstrated their atonement through actions that have helped improve countless lives. Yet, DA Hochman is effectively asking for them to publicly apologize to a checklist of actions they took in a state of shock and fear.”

Hochman, who took office in December, said last month that he opposed a new trial for the Menendez brothers. The siblings, who are now in their 50s, were sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted in 1996 of the murders of their entertainment executive father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez.

In October, then-District Attorney George Gascon, whom Hochman defeated in November’s election, 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.”

Hochman filed a motion to rescind Gascon’s request that includes a step-by-step analysis of the case showing the brothers crafted alibis and lied to police immediately after the killings.

In addition to pursuing resentencing, the siblings have also submitted a clemency plea to Newsom, who had said he would not make a decision until Hochman reviewed the case. The governor last month ordered the state parole board to investigate whether the brothers would pose a risk to the public if they are released.

Newsom didn’t immediately comment on Hochman’s news conference. But the governor did announce Monday that he would propose a new parole board process similar to the review the Menendez brothers are undergoing that could clear a path for more prison sentences to be shortened.

Tamara Goodall, a cousin of the brothers, last week asked that Hochman be removed from the case, citing bias. The district attorney rejected that claim.

“I will follow the facts and the law wherever they take us,” he said.

By Christopher Weber, The Associated Press