Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has responded to the ruling Tuesday granting a sentence reduction to the Menendez brothers, which makes Erik and Lyle Menendez eligible for parole.
At a hearing Tuesday, despite opposition from the DA’s office, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ prison sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They are now eligible for parole because they committed their crimes before they turned 26, though a California parole board will still have the final call on early release. The board has a hearing scheduled for June 13.
“The decision to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez was a monumental one that has significant implications for the families involved, the community, and the principles of justice,” Hochman said in a statement Tuesday night. “Our office’s motions to withdraw the resentencing motion filed by the previous administration ensured that the Court was presented with all the facts before making such a consequential decision.”
“The case of the Menendez brothers has long been a window for the public to better understand the judicial system. This case, like all cases — especially those that captivate the public — must be viewed with a critical eye,” Hochman continued. “Our opposition and analysis ensured that the Court received a complete and accurate record of the facts. Justice should never be swayed by spectacle.”
Hochman also thanked prosecutors who argued on behalf of the DA’s office.
The Menendez brothers have been behind bars since 1990 for the murder of their parents. Their first trial ended in a mistrial in 1994. They were convicted in a second, highly publicized trial in 1996 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The brothers maintained that they were sexually abused for years by their father Jose Menendez and their mother Kitty knew about it.
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