Family of Erik and Lyle Menendez postpone news conference amid efforts to get brothers released

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Relatives of Erik and Lyle Menendez have postponed a news conference that was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon as they continue their efforts to get the brothers released.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative advocating for the brothers' release, had planned "to address key facts surrounding Erik and Lyle's case and clarify recent public statements made by District Attorney Nathan Hochman."

It's unclear why they postponed the event or when it will be rescheduled.

L.A. County DA Nathan Hochman said Friday he has filed an informal response urging the Los Angeles County Superior Court to reject a habeas petition filed by the brothers' attorneys in 2023 that seeks a reexamination of their case that centers in part the allegations that Jose Menendez, the brothers' father, sexually abused Erik Menendez.

In a lengthy press conference, Hochman cast doubt on the evidence of abuse and said it was not pertinent to the case.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition described Hochman's remarks as an "abhorrent dismissal of abuse evidence."

"Abuse does not exist in a vacuum. It leaves lasting scars, rewires the brain, and traps victims in cycles of fear and trauma," the group said in a statement. "To say it played no role in Erik and Lyle's action is to ignore decades of psychological research and basic human understanding."

The brothers were found guilty in the 1989 murders of their entertainment executive father, Jose, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

They began their latest bid for freedom in recent years after their attorneys said new evidence of their father's sexual abuse emerged, and they have the support of most of their extended family.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.