The Mendendez brothers may have lost whatever momentum they had in requesting a new trial for the 1989 murders of their parents. CNN reports that new Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman recommended Friday that a judge reject Erik and Lyle Menendez's request for a new trial due to a petition the brothers filed based on claims of new evidence of abuse by their father.
Hochman, who took over as DA in December, seems to have a different stance on the case than his predecessor, George Gascón, who pushed for the brothers' resentencing in October. Last month, Hochman met with the brothers' family members to get their opinions on whether they should be released, and all but one supported it. After Hochman announced his decision, the family's Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition released a statement expressing disappointment. "District Attorney Nathan Hochman took us right back to 1996 today. He opened the wounds we have spent decades trying to heal. He didn't listen to us."
According to the Los Angeles Times, a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of the brothers in 2023 argued that new evidence—a letter Erik Menendez sent to a cousin alleging that his father, Jose Mendendez, had abused him late into his teens and allegations by another man saying Jose Mendendez had raped him—opened the door for a new trial. But Hochman said during a news conference on Friday that the court should deny the petition because the new allegations don't imply the killing of Jose and Kitty Menendez was justified.
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"Sexual abuse is abhorrent, and we will prosecute sexual abuse," Hochman said. "While it may have been a motivation for Erik and Lyle to do what they did, it does not constitute self-defense." However, Hochman did say he isn't opposed to resentencing the brothers, who are serving life terms, and mentioned that he'll look at the issue again in "the coming weeks." (More Menendez brothers stories.)
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