The district attorney of Los Angeles County said on 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 on Monday, Mr Hochman said his decision hinged on whether the brothers had exhibited “insight and complete responsibility” into lies told during their original trial, including their earlier claims that they did not kill their parents.
He said their repeated argument that they killed their parents in self-defence does not match the facts of the case that showed premeditated steps to plan the killings and make it look like a gang hit.
“They have lied to everyone for the last 30 years,” Mr Hochman said.
Mr Hochman compared the Menendez case to that of Sirhan Sirhan, who shot and killed US senator 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, Governor Gavin Newsom blocked his parole in 2022, saying he still poses an unreasonable threat to the public.
Mr Hochman called it an “instructive case” because the Menendez brothers also “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”.
A resentencing hearing has been scheduled for later in March and Mr Hochman said the court may move forward with it.
In October, then-district attorney George Gascon recommended the brothers be resentenced to 50 years to life, which would make them immediately eligible for parole. Mr Hochman called his predecessor’s recommendation a “desperate political move”.
Brothers Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez (California Dept of Corrections via AP)
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.
Mr 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 Mr Newsom, who has said he would not make a decision until Mr Hochman reviewed the case.
Mr Hochman rejected arguments by a relative of the brothers that he is biased against them. Tamara Goodall, a cousin of the siblings, has asked that he be removed from the case.
“I will follow the facts and the law wherever they take us,” Mr Hochman said.
Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez criticised Mr 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 on Monday.
“They have apologised for the horrific actions they took. They have apologised 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 apologise to a checklist of actions they took in a state of shock and fear.”
Their case has been the subject of a programme on Netflix titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.