Outgoing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon pushed hard for the Menendez brothers’ resentencing in the final days of his failed re-election campaign.
Nathan Hochman, the former federal prosecutor who will take his place after a 25-point victory, could now become key to their quest for freedom.
“Before I can make any decision about the Menendez brothers’ case, I will need to become thoroughly familiar with the relevant facts, the evidence and the law,” the DA-elect told Fox News Digital.
“I will have to review the confidential prison files for each brother, the transcripts from both trials, and speak to the prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel, and the victims’ family members. Only then can I make a decision. If for some reason I need additional time, I will ask the court for that time.”
KEY PLAYERS IN MENENDEZ BROTHERS’ RESENTENCING WHO COULD SET KILLERS FREE BY THANKSGIVING
Lyle Menendez, left, and his brother Erik pictured in their most recent CDCR mugshots, taken on Oct. 10, 2024. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
The hearing is on Dec. 11, and the new DA takes office on Dec. 2, he said.
His campaign has not committed to freeing the Menendez brothers or keeping them imprisoned.
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Joseph Menendez, who goes by his middle name Lyle, and younger brother Erik Menendez have been in California prisons since 1996, serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole for their parents’ 1989 slayings.
An undated photo of the Menendez family as it appears on screen during a panel at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, June 2. The brothers Lyle and Erik were convicted of fatally shooting both of their parents in 1989. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
The brothers claim they shot their father, former RCA Records executive Jose Menendez, in self-defense, arguing they thought he was going to kill them after they warned him they planned to expose him as a child sex abuser.
They also killed their mother, Mary “Kitty” Menendez, who was sitting next to Jose eating ice cream in their Beverly Hills living room when they opened fire.
Hochman could continue where Gascon left off and seek the resentencing, ask the judge to withdraw the prior administration’s resentencing request, or file additional briefs to give the judge more material to work with as the court considers the matter.
MENENDEZ BROTHERS PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCES RESENTENCING DECISION
Nathan Hochman, who has been elected as the next Los Angeles County District Attorney, talks during a news conference in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
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“As a candidate Nathan has been clear that he will approach every case with the diligence and integrity that every victim and defendant deserves,” campaign spokesman Stuart Pfeifer told Fox News Digital. “That includes thoroughly reviewing the facts and the law before making any findings.”
Without being in office, Hochman doesn’t have access to all of the case files.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon addresses the media during a press conference on developments for the case of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
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“Nathan understands how important this case is for many Angelenos, and as district attorney he will absolutely give it the attention that it deserves and ensure justice and fairness is exercised,” Pfeifer said.
TIMELINE OF THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS’ MURDER CASE
Under a new California law that gives district attorneys in the state the power to recommend new sentences in old, settled cases, Gascon urged a Los Angeles judge just days before the election to consider reducing the brothers’ sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life in prison.
Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit with defense attorney Leslie Abramson, right, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court during a hearing, Nov. 26, 1990. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Due to other California laws, the reduction would make them immediately eligible for parole hearings, even though they’d need to spend another 20 years behind bars to reach 50 for the shotgun murders of their parents.
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Gascon, after explaining to reporters the process would go through multiple layers of review, from the judge to the parole board and ultimately to Gov. Gavin Newsom, days later asked the governor to skip all of those steps and immediately grant clemency to the brothers.
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Whatever happens, Newsom has final say over the parole board and their clemency request.
A separate habeas corpus petition is also making its way through the court, which would be an additional path to freedom if successful.
