An ultimatum has been issued to the Menendez brothers by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to confess to the murder of their parents or face continued imprisonment.
Hochman strongly criticized Erik and Lyle Menendez, expressing his firm belief that they deserve to remain incarcerated for the fatal shooting of their parents 35 years ago, during a heated press conference on Monday.
However, Hochman then offered the brothers a way forward if they want to go free for their crimes.
Currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez, the brothers have sought a resentencing.
After denying a new trial, Hochman said his office will move forward with the resentencing proceedings for the brothers – but it’s not going to be an easy road.
Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced he would recommend Erik and Lyle for resentencing in October 2024.
Hochman said his office has now revised Gascon’s three-page plea to an 87-page document outlining the lies the brothers told after they shot Kitty and Jose to death on August 20, 1989.
He said he made his decision after reviewing trial transcripts and testimony, prison records, and having meetings with the Menendez family members.
“The District Attorney’s Office is prepared to proceed forward with the hearing on the Court’s initiation of resentencing proceedings for the Menendez brothers but we are requesting that the prior District Attorney’s motion for resentencing be withdrawn,” Hochman said in a statement.
He said at the conference, “There are legitimate reasons and the interests of justice justifies that withdrawal.”
He said the brothers have never taken full responsibility for their crimes.
The DA outlined 20 specific lies the brothers told throughout the investigation into their parents’ murders – and revealed they only admitted to four of them.
“They persist in these lies until this very day,” he slammed.
Hochman said the new proceedings will be asked to consider the “lack of full insight and lack of acceptance of responsibility for their murderous actions.”
He argued that the lies mean the brothers aren’t ready to reenter society.
“They do not meet the standards for rehabilitation,” Hochman said.
Timeline of the Menendez brothers case
Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case dates back more than three decades since their parents were found shot to death at their Beverly Hills mansion.
Below is a timeline of the brothers’ case, starting at the gruesome crime scene:
August 20, 1989 – José and Kitty Menendez are found dead from multiple shotgun wounds.
March 8, 1990 – Lyle is arrested outside his parents’ Beverly Hills mansion.
March 11, 1990 – Erik surrenders to police after flying back into Los Angeles from Israel.
December 1992 – Murder charges against the brothers are officially filed.
July 20, 1993 – The murder trial, highly publicized on Court TV, begins in Los Angeles with Erik and Lyle each having a separate jury.
January 28, 1994 – The first trial ends with two deadlocked juries.
October 11, 1995 – Lyle and Erik’s second trial begins with one jury.
March 20, 1996 – The Menendez brothers are convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
July 2, 1996 – Lyle and Erik are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and sent to separate prisons.
February 22, 2018 – Lyle is transferred to the San Diego prison, where Erik is held.
April 4, 2018 – Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik – the first time the brothers were reunited in over 20 years.
May 2023 – Lyle and Erik’s attorney files a habeas corpus petition after Roy Rosselló, a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, made sexual abuse allegations against Jose Menendez in a Peacock docuseries.
September 19, 2024 – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story releases on Netflix.
October 3, 2024 – Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón says his office is reviewing new evidence in connection with Lyle and Erik’s convictions.
October 7, 2024 – The Menendez Brothers documentary film comes out on Netflix.
October 16, 2024 – Family members of the Menendez brothers hold a press conference begging for the siblings to be released from prison.
October 24, 2024 – Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón recommends the brothers be resentenced.
November 25, 2024 – The Menendez brothers appear in court for a status hearing to learn their resentencing hearing is pushed back from December 11 to allow new DA Nathan Hochman more time to review the case.
January 30-31, 2025 – Erik and Lyle’s resentencing hearing was initially set but had to be rescheduled due to the California wildfires.
February 21, 2025 – Hochman officially opposes a new trial for the brothers.
February 26, 2025 – California Governor Gavin Newsom orders the parole board to conduct a “comprehensive risk assessment” of the Menendez brothers.
March 20-21, 2025 – The brothers are set to go before a judge for a resentencing hearing.
But as the court is being asked to consider how the brothers lied throughout their trials, the DA offered some hope for the pair.
“We have laid out a pathway for the Menendez brothers to potentially get out of jail,” Hochman said.
“It requires them to finally, after 35 years, to fully acknowledge and accept responsibility.”
Hochman said he would factor the brothers’ honesty into his decision over whether they should face a new sentence.
He accused Erik and Lyle of lying about their claims that they killed their mom and dad in self-defense after years of sexual abuse by both of them.
“The self-defense defense was a fabrication,” Hochman said.
The DA said he hadn’t spoken about the update to the Menendez’s family members, who fiercely support the brothers and advocate for their freedom.
FAMILY’S RESPONSE
The Menendez brothers’ family members lashed out at Hochman in a statement by the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a family-led group advocating the brothers’ release.
“District Attorney Hochman made it clear today he is holding Erik, Lyle, and our family hostage,” the statement said.
The family added, “DA Hochman broke his promise to listen to us, keep politics out of this review, and look at the full picture of this case.”
They criticized Hochman for implying the brothers weren’t sexually abused by their parents.
The family ended by sharing hope that Erik and Lyle will still be released one day.
Family’s statement
The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition released the following statement in response to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s press conference.
The organization is made up of Erik and Lyle’s family members advocating for their release.
“District Attorney Hochman made it clear today he is holding Erik, Lyle, and our family hostage,” the statement said.
“He appears fixated on their trauma-driven response to the killings in 1989 with blinders on to the fact they were repeatedly abused, feared for their lives, and have atoned for their actions. How many times do we have to hear the same attempts to bury who they are today and rip us back to that painful time?
“Let’s be clear: Erik and Lyle are not the same young boys they were more than 30 years ago. They have apologized for their actions, which were the results of Jose’s sexual abuse and Kitty’s enablement.
“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.
“DA Hochman broke his promise to listen to us, keep politics out of this review, and look at the full picture of this case. Perhaps most alarming, however, was his not-so-veiled insistence they were not sexually abused.
“He instead sent a message to every young boy who’s the victim of abuse that they should not come forward or tell your truth. Because he’s demanding as much out of Erik and Lyle right now.
“As a reminder, we are pursuing three avenues for release and we remain hopeful that the Judges, the Board of Parole, and Governor Newsome will transcend the political games that governed DA Hochman’s recommendation around resentencing.
“Importantly, we pray they understand the full scope of trauma Erik, Lyle and our entire family continue to experience, and see the overwhelming available evidence that they are ready to become productive citizens in our society.”
Source: Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition
BIZARRE COMPARISON
During the briefing in Los Angeles, Hochman also drew a parallel between the brothers and the man who assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
Sirhan Sirhan, 80, has faced 17 parole hearings.
Like the Menendez brothers, Sirhan has spent decades in prison working toward rehabilitation through education and prison programs.
Hochman said that, similarly to the Menendez brothers, Sirhan also had letters of support and showed good behavior while in prison.
Sirhan was granted parole in August 2021 after 53 years in prison.
However, in January 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom blocked his parole.
Newsom said Sirhan still posed a threat to the public because he hadn’t taken full responsibility for Kennedy’s murder.
“The court must similarly analyze whether the Menendez brothers’ lack of full insight and lack of complete responsibility for their murders overcomes, like it did in Sirhan Sirhan’s case, the other factors justifying a resentencing,” Hochman’s office said in a statement.
After the press conference, Hochman’s office shared a chart on their website comparing Sirhan Sirhan to Erik and Lyle.
If [Erik and Lyle Menendez] were to finally come forward and unequivocally and sincerely admit and completely accept responsibility for their lies of self-defense and the attempted suborning of perjury they engaged in, then the Court should weigh such new insight into the analysis of rehabilitation and resentencing — as will the People.
Nathan Hochman
They also released a graphic demonstrating 16 unacknowledged lies from the Menendez brothers.
LOOKING AHEAD
As it stands, the brothers still have two ways forward in their three-part fight to be released from prison.
Even though Hochman shot down their attempt at a new trial, a resentencing is still possible if they come clean on the lies Hochman spelled out.
Plus, Newsom could grant them clemency.
Last month, Newsom ordered a state parole board to conduct a “risk assessment investigation” on the brothers to determine if they’d be a threat to the public if released from prison.
The investigation’s findings will help Newsom make his decision, which he initially said he wouldn’t do until Hochman looked into the case.
A hearing for the resentencing decision has been set for March 20 and 21 in Los Angeles.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
