Menendez brothers update: Supporters rally outside LA DA's office amid resentencing bid

LOS ANGELES - The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez joined supporters for a rally and news conference outside the office of LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Thursday, vowing to continue the "fight for justice and truth" and calling on Hochman to reconsider his opposition to resentencing the brothers.

What we know:

Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills, claiming the acts were committed after years of alleged abuse. They are serving life sentences without parole. 

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The LA County District Attorney's Office's motion to withdraw a resentencing petition is set for April 11 in the Van Nuys Courthouse. Depending on what the court decides, a hearing could be set as early as April 17.

Hochman's predecessor, George Gascón, had supported resentencing, but Hochman reversed course.

Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers and part of the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, was joined by sentencing reform advocates and other relatives including Tamara Goodell, also a cousin of Erik and Lyle, at the rally Thursday.

They accused Hochman of ignoring the positive work the brothers have done in prison and clinging to old talking points that ignore more recent developments in the case.

"We are not going anywhere. We will not stop fighting. We will not stop fighting for Erik and Lyle, for justice and for the truth," Baralt said.

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"Accountability should not be weaponized to deny people the second chance they worked so hard for," said Baralt. 

Baralt said the advocates were speaking up "for every person who has been told ... that the worst thing they ever did defines them forever."

The backstory:

Erik and Lyle's defense claimed self-defense due to years of alleged abuse, while prosecutors argued the murders were financially motivated.

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In a 2023 court petition, attorneys for the brothers pointed to two new pieces of evidence they contend corroborate the brothers' allegations of long-term sexual abuse at the hands of their father -- a letter allegedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin Andy Cano in early 1989 or late 1988, eight months before the August 1989 killings, and recent allegations by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, that he too was sexually abused by Jose Menendez as a teenager.

Interest in the case surged following the release of a recent Netflix documentary and dramatic series.

In October, then-District Attorney George Gascón recommended the brothers be resentenced to 50 years to life, which would make them immediately eligible for parole. Hochman called his predecessor’s recommendation a "desperate political move."

Advocates Share Perspectives:

RELATED:  Menendez brothers: Family hopes good behavior, prison record will lead to release

David Amaya, program manager for the Anti-Recedivism Hope and Redemption team, said the brothers deserve a second chance. 

"They have not just served their time. They have made something meaningful of it. They have worked to improve their lives of those around them. They have mentored young people in prison, and they have graduated from the IRC programs designated to prepare incarcerated individuals for success in reentry," he said. 

"Erik and Lyle have turned their lives around over the last 35 years. They apologize for what they did that night, and they are so much more than what they did that single night," he added.

Michael Mendoza, national criminal justice director at Latino Justice - a national civil rights organization focusing on using and changing the laws to create more, safer communities that are equitable and just - spoke of the time he met Lyle.

"At the age of 15, I unfortunately also committed a crime. When I was tried as an adult and I was given a 15 to life sentence and ended up serving 17 years in adult prisons. And it was during that time where I actually met Lyle Menendez. I got to see him do his time. I got to see him stay focused and making sure that he took part in everything he needed to do in terms of rehabilitation programs. And I was proud to know him and who he is today," he said.

Javier Staurig, co-founder and executive director of Healing Dialogue and Action, called on Hochman to listen to the family's pleas for the brothers' release. 

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"It's a simple, simple decision. Allow Erik and Lyle to go before the board. Allow them to prove that they are ready to come home. But more than that, listen to this family. Listen to the family. They have suffered enough."

Family's Fight For Justice:

Tamara Goodell, cousin of Erik and Lyle, doubled down on Hochman to listen to them and "be fair and focused on the law."

"My grandmother, Joan, dedicated the last 35 years of her life to advocating for the lives of Erik and Lyle. And I am here. We are here to continue that fight for Erik and Lyle and to continue advocating for them. District Attorney Hochman doesn't seem to want to listen or engage with us. We lost Kitty and Jose, but we also lost Erik. And while in this process, we have a unique situation of being multi-dimensional victims. At every turn, we feel like DA. Hochman has dismissed us, ignored us, and quite frankly, treated us like we don't matter. Why? Why does he seem to be making this case so personal? A district attorney is supposed to be fair, impartial and focused and focused on the law. But Hochman is not acting like a neutral party. He is relegating a case from 35 years ago with the same outdated lens that ignored abuse and trauma and compassion in the first place. He's saying that Erik and Lyle are still a danger to society. But to who? Anyone who spends even five minutes with Erik and Lyle will tell you that it's just not true."

SUGGESTED: Menendez brothers: Family hopes good behavior, prison record will lead to release

Sarah Mallas shared a message on behalf of her father, who is the nephew of Kitty Menendez.

"He wants the entire criminal justice system to hear him and do something. If my father were here today. He would say very clearly that he loves Erik and Lyle. He forgives Erik and Lyle like so many relatives from both sides of our family, and he would feel completely safe welcoming Erik and Lyle."

Erik and Lyle In Prison:

Baralt detailed what the brothers have been up to in prison, noting Erik's creation of a hospice program caring for terminally ill inmates and a support group for survivors of abuse inside prison. Baralt also shared Erik has earned multiple degrees and is on track to graduate from UC Irvine.

Lyle has directed projects to "transform the prison environment, making it a place of growth instead of despair," she said.

"He spearheaded the Green Space Project, beautifying prison yards to create an environment proven to reduce violence and recidivism. He mentored young inmates, helping them find purpose and hope for a life beyond bars. And like Erik, he has dedicated himself to education, earning degrees, excelling in his studies, proving that he is not the same young man that he was when he entered that courtroom 30 years ago."

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The other side:

Hochman released the following statement in response to the March 20 rally:

"In going through an extensive and comprehensive review of the Menendez case, part of that effort involved listening to the Menendez family members for over three hours and hearing their strong feelings about releasing the Menendez brothers. While I sympathize with their feelings, my duty is to follow the facts and the law in this case and in every case. I have laid out in two over 85-page written positions with the Court why we don't believe the facts and the law show that the Menendez brothers have met the legal standards for a new trial in the habeas petition and the legal standards for resentencing. I have shown how the District Attorney’s Office is willing to reconsider its resentencing position if the Menendez brothers come clean for the first time in over 30 years in admitting the lies concerning their central defense (they murdered their parents because they thought their parents were going to kill them that night) and their suborning perjury with the lies that their father was a violent rapist, their mother tried to poison them, and they tried to get a handgun the day before the killings. We look forward to making our arguments to the courts, who will have the final say on these issues, rather than on the sidewalk steps. The Menendez brothers and their family members can always go directly to Governor Newsom, who is not bound by the same legal standards, and make their arguments to him to grant clemency, commute the sentences, and release the Menendez brothers immediately."

During a press conference on March 10, Hochman announced that he does not support the resentencing because the brothers have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

"As stated before, we are prepared to go forward if the court determines it has jurisdiction to do so on the court's own motion for resentencing while requesting that the court allow the People to withdraw its resentencing motion filed by the prior District Attorney for the `legitimate reasons' set forth the People's withdrawal request filed on March 10," Hochman said.

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What's next:

The court will decide on the resentencing motion, potentially setting a hearing for April 17. 

State parole boards will conduct separate hearings on June 13, with reports sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for clemency consideration.

"We will submit that report to the judge for the resentencing, and that will weigh in to our independent analysis of whether or not to move forward with the clemency application to support a commutation of this case," Newsom said.

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