New Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hockman's office is pushing back against “unsubstantiated” claims of a potential conflict of interest in the Menendez brothers' case, even as their relatives There have been reports that he wants the state attorney general's office to handle the charges on his behalf. County prosecutor.
“The conflict of interest issues that were first raised with the media before being raised with the District Attorney's Office are moot,” a DA spokesperson told FOX News Digital. “All family members of the Menendez victims who would like an opportunity to speak privately with the district attorney before a final decision is made are invited to do so, and these discussions should conclude in the coming weeks.” is.”
Hochman's predecessor, former prosecutor George Gascón, reportedly only met with relatives who supported his brother's freedom and did not meet with his 90-year-old uncle, Milton Andersen. He has opposed any leniency for his nephews, who were convicted of firing a shotgun into Andersen's parents, who were his sister and brother-in-law, in their Beverly Hills living room in the late 1980s.
Menendez brothers angry at being pushed back, Judge Eyes in late January
Lyle Menendez (left) and his brother Eric (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Eric “Lyle” Menendez and Joseph “Lyle” Menendez sneaked up behind their parents, Jose “Kitty” and Mary Menendez, and opened fire on August 20, 1989. Investigators initially suspected a mob attack, costing the brothers $700,000. Eventually he was arrested.
Their first trial ended in hanging, and they were subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but they learned that their punishment would be reduced under California's new sentencing laws. I want it.
Andersen and Kitty's sister, Joan Andersen Vandermolen, 92, is among the 20 relatives who support the brothers' freedom. Public support for their release also came after a series of documentaries explored allegations of child abuse by their father, a former RCA Records executive.
Watch FOX NATION: MENENDES BROTHERS: Victims or Villains?
Eric Menendez (left) and his brother Lyle listen during a pretrial hearing in Los Angeles on December 29, 1992. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
Their lawyers also say new evidence supports their claims. Last year, Roy Rosselló, a member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, came forward with allegations of abuse against Jose Menendez. Additionally, a letter Eric Menendez allegedly wrote to his cousin Andy Cano eight months before the murders may corroborate some of Andy Cano's trial testimony about Jose Menendez. Mr. Cano died in 2003, and court filings have called into question the authenticity of the letter.
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Andersen Vandermolen's attorney, Brian Friedman, asks that their potential additional convictions be transferred to the California Attorney General's Office after the Los Angeles district attorney he supported lost his re-election bid. It was reported that there are plans to do so. ABC News.
Kitty Menendez's sister, Joan Andersen Vandermolen, looks on as the families of Eric and Lyle Menendez hold a press conference in Los Angeles on October 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Blake)
In his final weeks in office, Gascón asserted a counterclaim that could lead to his brother's freedom under California's new law. But he lost in a landslide to Hochman, an independent who said he would thoroughly review the facts of each brother's case before taking a position.
According to the ABC report, Mr. Friedman alleges that there is a conflict of interest because Mr. Andersen's former lawyer, Kathleen Cady, has taken a job at Mr. Hochman's firm.
Lyle Menendez, who shot and killed his parents with his brother, plans life after prison
Cady, who served as a deputy district attorney for decades before becoming a victims' rights advocate, will be sworn in as director of victim services in the Los Angeles County Attorney's Office on January 6, but declined to comment on the new role. I refrained. She no longer represents Andersen.
An undated photo of the Menendez family was shown on screen during a panel discussion at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Michael Lewis/Fox News Digital)
The brothers claimed self-defense, saying they killed their father because they feared he would kill them if they tried to expose him as a child molester.
But they unloaded so many shells on their mother that they had to go out and retrieve more before they could finish her off as she tried to crawl to safety.
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Exterior view of the Menendez brothers' former mansion in 1989 (Clark Fogg, former Beverly Hills Police Forensic Specialist)
The Menendez Brothers: Monsters or Misunderstandings?
Andersen vehemently opposes the idea of a reduced sentence, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital this year that he does not believe the brothers' claims of sexual abuse by their father.
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“Mr. Andersen deeply loved his sister and mourns her every day,” his new attorney RJ Dreyling told FOX News Digital in a statement. “He seems serious about ensuring that the new prosecutor reviews all the evidence, listens to all those affected by his sister's murder, and ensures justice is served. I appreciate that it looks like this.”
A separate habeas corpus petition has been filed in court, which, if successful, would provide a path to further freedom for the brothers. The petition is based on Cano's letter and Rosello's claims.
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.
