New LA County DA says meeting with Menendez brothers' family was 'very productive'
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Friday he had a "very productive" meeting with the Menendez brothers' family, but he still has not decided whether he will support any actions that might lead to the brothers' release.
During a meeting that lasted roughly three hours, Hochman said he met with about 25 relatives who support the brothers' bid for freedom.
"It was a very productive session where they gave me all their thoughts about what should happen in this case, their experiences that they wanted to share, the ultimate direction that they wanted this case to go," Hochman told the media at the Hall of Justice in downtown L.A. "It was a very productive conversation over a number of hours."
WATCH: LA County DA discusses meeting with Menendez brothers' family
Hochman insisted that he and a team of prosecutors are still reviewing thousands of pages of prison records and transcripts from the brothers' two trials and appellate court proceedings, and no decision has been made on whether he will support an effort to have their sentenced reduced from life without the possibility of parole to a term that might allow them to seek parole.
A hearing on the possible re-sentencing remains scheduled for the end of January.
Brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989 in their Beverly Hills home and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
RELATED: Menendez brothers' murder case: A timeline of key events
While their defense attorneys argued at trial that they had been sexually abused by their father, prosecutors denied that and accused them of killing their parents for money. In the years that followed, they repeatedly appealed their convictions without success.
The brothers have the support of most of their extended family, who have said they deserve to be free after decades behind bars. Several family members have said that in today's world - which is more aware of the impact of sexual abuse - the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life.
In October 2024, then-District Attorney George Gascon recommended the brothers be resentenced to 50 years to life, which would make them immediately eligible for parole. Hochman, who was running against Gascon, called it a "desperate political move."
Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the Menendez brothers, spoke to the media briefly after the family's meeting with Hochman, saying they were "grateful" for his time.
"This 35-year process has been incredibly traumatizing for us, as I'm sure that you can all imagine," Baralt said. "We are very much hoping that we can find a path to manslaughter. That we can see the release of the brothers immediately.
"To understand that going to a parole board for our family will only serve to re-traumatize us more. Two parole boards. Two brothers. Again, with victim statements. We have had enough. It is a lot, 35 years is a very long time. So we hope that will happen."
Attorneys for the brothers are pursuing various avenues in hopes of securing their release from prison, contending that new evidence backs the brothers' claims that they were sexually abused by their father.
The case was put back into the spotlight last year following the release of a Netflix drama and a documentary about the brothers.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
