Resentencing hearing for Menedez brothers following recent evidence

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

New Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman will review the Menendez brothers’ case and evidence following their 1989 conviction for the murder of their parents, with a resentencing hearing set for Dec. 11, 2024.

A new chance to fight for their freedom seems less certain for the Menendez brothers following remarks from soon-to-be Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman on reviewing their case’s evidence further.

Nathan Hochman, who won the Monday, Nov 4. 2024, district attorney race in the Los Angeles county against incumbent and former Defense Attorney George Gascón, has stated, according to Fox LA, that he will review months of evidence to catch up on the Menendez brothers' case once he enters the office on Monday, Dec. 2. 

Hochman has been outwardly more conservative regarding the brother’s sentencing and possibility of parole than Gascón, who, shortly before the DA election on Monday, showed support for a clemency request made by the brother’s defense team on Thursday, Oct 24.

“I strongly support clemency for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving sentences of life without possibility of parole. They have respectively served 34 years and have continued their educations and worked to create new programs to support the rehabilitation of fellow inmates,” Gascón affirmed when talking with TheWrap.

With his stance, however, Hochman remains committed, according to ABC News, and is working tirelessly to help get the story and situation right for the brothers and the public as soon as possible, with as little delay in the court as he can manage. 

Once all of the available evidence and testimonies have been reviewed, Hochman reaffirms that “...only then will I be in a position to determine if the current resentencing request is just that,” according to Fox.LA. The resentencing hearing will occur on Dec. 11, only nine days after Hochman takes office.

The case of the Menedez brothers has been heavily talked about and debated over, especially after new evidence originating last year surfaced following their conviction in 1996. The brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez were charged and sentenced with the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989 inside the family's home in Beverly Hills. Prosecutors motioned that the brothers killed their parents for financial gain, while the testimonies from the brothers said otherwise. 

While the brothers did not deny the killing, they said the reason for doing so was in self-defense, following years of abuse by their father. During the first trial, a possible conviction was dismissed following the jurors' lack of sentencing agreement. 

In the second trial, evidence of abuse claims was not presented, leading to the brother’s sentencing, but a letter written by Erik in 1988 seems to prove these claims. In this letter, the brother details the father’s violent nature, as shown by CNN. 

There have also been reports of another victim, according to CBS News, of Jose Menendez, a member of the Latin band Menudo, Roy Rossello. Rossello has come forward stating that during the band’s contract under Radio Corporation of America (RCA) Records, where Jose Menendez worked as an executive, Rosello was raped by Jose at the age of 14. 

Roy’s testimony is now being introduced as evidence following a documentary series titled Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed (2023), which was released on the streaming service Peacock.

Further widespread support for the brother’s case has propelled into the public sphere, following a limited series and separate documentary published by Netflix into the nature of the brother’s crimes, respectively released on Sept. 23 and Oct. 7. While both do bring seemingly much-needed attention to the case, the series attempts at depicting a seemingly false sexual relationship between the brothers. The series has also been critiqued for creating an inaccurate depiction of male sexual abuse. Erik Menendez has stated that the series contained “vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me.”

But Hochman’s work goes beyond the series and documentary, with his appearance on Good Morning America on Nov. 14. He reiterated that “If you decide this case based on just viewing a Netflix documentary, you are doing a disservice to the Menendez brothers, to the victims’ family members, to the public.”