California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would postpone his decision on the Menendez brothers’ case until after the new Los Angeles District Attorney can review the details of the case.
“The governor will defer to the D.A.-elect’s review and analysis of the Menendez case prior to making any clemency decisions,” Newsom’s office said in a statement obtained by News Nation on Monday.
Nathan Hochman defeated current DA George Gascón in November and will take office in early December.
“Once I take office on December 3, I look forward to putting in the hard work to thoroughly review the facts and law of the Menendez case, including reviewing the confidential prison files, the transcripts of the two trials, and the voluminous exhibits as well as speaking with the prosecutors, defense attorneys and victim family members,” Hochman released in a statement Tuesday according to ABC 7.
He reiterated that he would treat all cases the same “regardless of media attention.”
“This is the same type of rigorous analysis I have done throughout my 34-year career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense counsel, and the same type of thorough review that I will give to all cases regardless of media attention.”
Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced in 1996 for the shotgun killings of their parents, Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez, in Beverly Hills. They are currently serving two life sentences without parole.
Prosecutors argued the brothers killed their parents for financial gain. However, they claimed to have acted in self-defense after their father sexually abused them for years and that their parents threatened to kill them to prevent the brothers from exposing the abuse.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group that also owns The Hill.
