A Los Angeles Superior Court judge is set to hear arguments Friday on whether to withdraw a resentencing motion for convicted murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez filed by former L.A. District Attorney George Gascón’s administration.
Current D.A. Nathan Hockman does not support resentencing under the terms of Gascón’s motion, saying that the brothers do not meet the standard for rehabilitation.
“They have told 20 different lies. They’ve actually admitted to four of them, but 16 lies remain unacknowledged. They persist in these lies to this very day,” Hockman said during a recent news conference.
Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shotgun murders of their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez back in 1989.
The brothers have been behind bars for 35 years and claim they killed their parents in self-defense after years of abuse.
Some of the brothers’ family members who support their release are expected to fly in and attend the hearing in Van Nuys on Friday.
“They have done more good from inside the prison than most people do in a lifetime and yet, Hochman is hyperfocused on one thing; what they said as scared kids,” the brothers’ cousin Tamara Goodell said. “Letting them come home isn’t about letting them off easy. They’ve served their time. It would give them a chance to be here with all of us.”
The decision by Judge Michael Jesic on Friday will determine whether a resentencing hearing will move forward.
The Menendez brothers also have a path to freedom through California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The state’s parole board is conducting separate hearings and will send its report to the governor.
Friday’s proceedings will begin at 10 a.m. The court is holding a public lottery for 16 seats inside the courtroom.
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