California Governor Gavin Newsom has reached decisions on two clemency applications for Beverly Hills brother Eric “Lyle” Menendez, who is serving a life sentence without parole for the 1989 murders of his parents.
He said he would defer to the wishes of voters who sent far-left progressive George Gascón packing on Election Day until newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has time to consider the case. He said he intended to do so.
Newsom's office said in a statement: “The governor respects the district attorney's role in ensuring justice is done and recognizes that voters have entrusted the next district attorney, Hochman, with carrying out this responsibility. “I am doing so,” he said. “The Governor will await the next Congressman's review and analysis of the Menendez case before making any clemency decisions.”
Watch FOX NATION: MENENDES BROTHERS: Victims or Villains?
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)
Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush, previously told Fox News Digital that he would not make a decision until he was “fully familiar” with all aspects of the case. He said there would be no.
“I must review each brother's confidential prison files, the records from both trials, and speak with prosecutors, law enforcement, defense attorneys and the victims' families,” he said shortly after his Election Day victory. Ta. “Only then can we make a decision. If for any reason we need additional time, we will seek that time from the court.”
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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)
A re-election hearing for the Menendez brothers is scheduled for Dec. 11, requested by Gascón just days before he lost re-election.
“Once I take office on December 3, I look forward to dedicating my efforts to a thorough review of the facts and law in the Menendez case, including reviewing confidential prison files, records from two trials, and extensive exhibits. “We're talking to prosecutors, defense attorneys and the victim's family,” Hochman said Tuesday.
“This is the same type of rigorous analysis I have done throughout my 34-year career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, and it is the same type of rigorous analysis I do for every case, regardless of media attention. It’s the same type of thorough analysis.”
The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 after a second-degree trial for killing their parents, Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez, with a shotgun in a living room ambush. The first case ended in a mistrial several years ago.
Menendez Brothers: What George Gascón's election loss means for future backlash
They said they killed their father in self-defense, believing that he would kill his father after he threatened to expose him as a child molester. Their mother was sitting next to him eating ice cream and watching TV when they started filming from behind.
California Governor Gavin Newsom holds a press conference in Los Angeles on October 27, 2024. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
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Twenty-four of Kitty's relatives, including her 92-year-old sister Joan Andersen Vandermolen, have publicly supported her brother's freedom. But Kitty's brother, Milton Andersen, 90, remains vehemently opposed to the pardon, saying he does not believe the abuse allegations against Jose.
Hochman will either continue where Gascón left off and seek a resentencing, or ask the justices to withdraw the previous administration's request for resentencing, providing the justices with further material to work on as the court considers the issue. Additional preparation documents may be submitted in order to do so.
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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)
After explaining to reporters that the process would involve multiple stages of review, from judges to the parole board and ultimately to Newsom, Gascón told the governor several days later that he would He immediately asked for a pardon for his brothers, omitting all of the above.
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Even if Mr. Hochman's office continues down this path of indignation, Mr. Newsom will still have the final say. If the brothers' sentences are reduced enough to make them eligible for parole, the governor has veto power over the parole board's decision. He could also issue pardons and pardons on his own.
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)
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. .
The lawyer's goal of getting them home for Thanksgiving seems unlikely.
