Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the Menendez Brothers will hold a hearing on the parole board in June, a key step in the double blame for the siblings' double murder of their parents in 1989.
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been in prison for more than 30 years and have recently fought for freedom again, believing that new evidence shows they were sexually abused by their father, Jose Menendez.
Newsom said in a podcast on Tuesday that the board will hold an independent hearing for each brother on June 13 and then submit a report to assess whether they pose a risk to society if released.
“We will submit this report to the judge to allow us to continue to apply for leniency in support of the case,” Newsom said.
In addition to demanding the governor’s leniency, the brothers also held a grudge hearing that could potentially downgrade their verdict and qualify them to release early.
But on Monday, Los Angeles County. Atti. Nathan Hochman threw a wrench into the plan after announcing opposition to the new verdict.
Previous district. Atti. George Gascón last year recommended that the court reconsider the brothers' previous judgment without the possibility of parole, but rather give them 50 years of life. This move may qualify them for immediate parole.
But Hodgman filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to revoke Gascon's claim and analyze the facts in the case that were detrimental to the brothers and raised questions about the validity of their self-defense claims.
“The Menendez Brothers continue to lie for more than 30 years, i.e. their self-defense – that is, what they say is actually worried that their mother and father would kill them on murder night,” Hochman wrote in the motion. “And, over the past 30 years, they have not been responsible for the large number of lies related to that defense.”
Last month, Hochman also announced a third possible free path to opposition to the brothers – the Menandes defense team filed a petition for habeas protection seeking a new trial.
Lawyers believe the new evidence proves the allegations that the brothers were victims of sexual assault and may have changed the jury's verdict. This includes a letter from Erik Menendez about sexual abuse he encountered before the murder, and former member of Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, who said he was raped by Jose Menendez as well.
Hochman asked the court to deny habeas protection petition, saying the murder was a matter of conviction rather than a sexual abuse charge. He added that the brothers will have to worry that their parents will kill them for sexual abuse revelations in order to make the murder considered self-defense.
Newsom made it clear that he was still interested in reviewing the brothers’ wide big bids.
In February, the governor asked the parole board to assess whether Menendezes releases public safety poses an unreasonable risk.
“There is no guarantee of results here,” he said in a podcast in February. “My office has made dozens of leniency comments on a consistent basis, but this [assessment] The process just provides greater transparency, which I think is important in this case. ”
Newsom said he will make a decision based on its wide-ranging requirements after reviewing the risk assessment report.
