Gov. Gavin Newsom reveals when Menendez brothers will appear before parole board

Governor Gavin Newsom announced on his new podcast that the Menendez brothers will appear before the parole board for a hearing in June.

Newsom revealed the news on his new podcast Tuesday, saying that the brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, will be appearing before the parole board for a hearing on June 13.

"On June 13, both Lyle and Eric Menendez independently will have their final hearing. A report then will be submitted to me on the 13th of June for consideration," said Newsom. "We will submit that report to the judge for the resentencing, and that will weigh into our independent analysis of whether or not to move forward with the clemency application to support a commutation of this case."

Lyle and Erik Menendez submitted a request for clemency to Newsom. In November, the governor said he'd defer to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman's "review and analysis" of the case before making any decisions.

On Monday, Hochman asked the court to withdraw the previous district attorney's motion for resentencing, calling the brothers' claims of self-defense "lies."

"Our position is that they shouldn't get out of jail," Hochman said at a news conference Monday. "We bring that position to the court. The court can agree with it, the court can disagree with it or modify it in some respect."

In October, then-L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón announced he supported resentencing for the brothers. Gascón recommended their sentences of life without the possibility of parole be removed, and said they should instead be sentenced for murder, which would be a sentence of 50 years to life. Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, they would be eligible for parole immediately with the new sentence.

The DA's office said its resentencing recommendations take into account many factors, including rehabilitation in prison and abuse or trauma that contributed to the crime. Gascón praised the work Lyle and Erik Menendez did behind bars to rehabilitate themselves and help other inmates.

Weeks after Gascón's announcement, he lost his race for reelection to Hochman. When Hochman came into office on Dec. 3, he promised to review all the facts before reaching his own decision.

Hochman's announcement on Monday comes days after one of the brothers' cousins, Tamara Goodell, slammed the DA in a letter to the U.S. Attorney's Office Civil Rights Division.

Goodell accused Hochman of being "hostile, dismissive and patronizing" during two meetings in January with family members who want the brothers released. She said the "lack of compassion was palpable, and the family left feeling not only ignored but further intimidated and revictimized."

Goodell wants Hochman removed and the case turned over to the attorney general's office.

Besides resentencing, the brothers have been pursuing two other paths to freedom.

One is their habeas corpus petition, which they filed in 2023 for a review of two new pieces of evidence not presented at trial: a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders detailing his alleged abuse from his father, and allegations from a former boy band member who revealed in 2023 that he was raped by Jose Menendez.

Hochman announced in February that he's asked the court to deny the habeas corpus petition, arguing the new evidence isn't credible or admissible.

The third path to freedom is through the brothers' request for clemency, which has been submitted to Newsom.

On Feb. 26, Newsom announced that he's ordering the parole board to conduct a 90-day "comprehensive risk assessment" investigation into whether the brothers pose "an unreasonable risk to the public" if they're granted clemency and released.

"There's no guarantee of outcome here," Newsom said. "But this process simply provides more transparency ... as well as provides us more due diligence before I make any determination for clemency."