A California judge has sentenced Beverly Hills brothers Eric and Joseph “Lyle” Menendez to life in prison without parole for killing their parents with a shotgun in 1989. The long-awaited retrial has been postponed.
Outgoing Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon asked the court to commute his sentence less than two weeks before Election Day, but lost to independent candidate Nathan Hochman, who will take office on December 2nd.
Judge Michael Jesic said he likely wasn't ready for the previously scheduled Dec. 11 hearing and said he would hold the hearing “out of respect for the new administration” once both sides agree. It has been postponed to late January.
Newsom administration announces ruling in Menendez brothers case
On the day of the hearing in the case of Eric Menendez and Lyle Menendez over whether to reconsider the Menendez brothers' first-degree convictions in Los Angeles, Tammy Menendez, Eric Menendez's wife, and Eric Menendez's stepdaughter are in the van.・Walk near the Nize Courthouse. November 25, 2024, Angeles, California, USA. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
Defense attorney Mark Geragos said he expected the court hearing to take more than a day.
The two sides tentatively agreed to a date of Jan. 30-31, but the judge did not formally set it on the calendar.
Watch FOX NATION: MENENDES BROTHERS: Victims or Villains?
Defense attorney Mark Geragos arrives at the Van Nuys courthouse in Los Angeles for the hearing of Eric Menendez and Lyle Menendez on Monday, November 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
Due to technical glitches, the brothers practically did not appear as expected. Geragos waived his right to appear in court while the court discussed scheduling.
Two witnesses were still expected to testify Monday due to health concerns, including their 93-year-old aunt, Joan Andersen Vandermolen, who is the sister of the brothers' mother. was.
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Mary “Kitty” Menendez was sitting next to her husband, Jose, eating ice cream and watching TV when her brothers burst into the living room and shot them in the back with a shotgun. Jose died soon after, but the brothers had to go out and get more ammunition to finish off their mother.
Lyle Menendez (left) and his brother Eric are pictured in the latest prison mugshot taken on October 10, 2024. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
The brothers later claimed self-defense, claiming they were afraid of being killed by their father because he was planning to expose him as a child molester.
Twenty relatives have sided with the brothers in seeking a reduced sentence, but Kitty and Vandermolen's brother, Milton Andersen, remain strongly opposed to their release.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón shakes hands with members of the Menendez family after addressing the case of brothers Eric and Lyle Menendez during a press conference at the Judicial Hall on Thursday, October 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (right). Angeles. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
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“Milton Andersen continues to believe that the sexual abuse allegations are fabricated and false, and he… correct verdict The jury handed down the verdict, and it was the right verdict,” attorney Kathleen Cady told FOX News Digital.
Mr. Hochman, a moderate, rejected Mr. Gascón's moderate approach to crimes against the administration of the DA's office, but he has given the case a thorough review before taking a stance on whether to continue pushing for the outrage his predecessor started. I promised to look into it.
An undated photo of the Menendez family is shown on screen during a panel discussion at CrimeCon 2024 on Sunday, June 2, in Nashville, Tennessee. Brothers Lyle and Eric were convicted of shooting their parents to death in 1989. (Michael Lewis/Fox News Digital)
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Another habeas corpus petition has also been filed in court, which, if successful, could provide a new path to freedom.
Their petition is based on newly surfaced evidence supporting allegations of child abuse against the father. These are supporting letters from unconfirmed sources and the words of former Menudo member Roy Rosselló, who said he too was abused by Jose Menendez as a child. .
New Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hockman at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Wally Scully/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Gov. Gavin Newsom also declined to grant the clemency petition against the brothers, saying he would wait to review Hochman's pending case before making a decision, at least for now.
This is a developing story.
