The new Los Angeles District Attorney has reiterated that the Menendez Brothers cases will be handled separately.
In his first network interview, incoming DA Nathan Hochman explained to NBC News’ Lester Holt that the infamous brothers face their own individual cases. While that was always the case – each brother faced their own jury and case initially – much of the public packages the pair together when thinking about their crime.
“While they’re called the Menendez Brothers case, there’s an Erik Menendez case and a Lyle Menendez case,” Hochman said. “So we will look at each case separately, which is the way they actually should be handled.”
The brothers popularity surged earlier this year after Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” brought the case back into focus. That popularity led to an outcry that makes a new decision on the case – which currently has the pair serving life sentences without the possibility for parole – a possibly historically significant case, which Hochman acknowledged to Holt.
“This is an important decision, although that decision is not going to get a more rigorous review of the facts and law than any other decision, even though so many other decisions don’t get the media attention,” he said. “What I’m actually hoping about the Menendez case is that people use that as the springboard to get interested in criminal justice issues.”
Hochman continued, “You know, there’s a whole lotta people who heard a little bit about the Menendez case. I want them to learn a lot about the Menendez case, and not just stop with the Menendez case. There are plenty of cases out there that, if the public gets interested in, it’ll actually help the process of bringing justice across this– this county, this state, maybe even this nation.”
Former LA DA George Gascón was vocally in favor of resentencing or clemency for the brothers, who went to prison for the 1989 murder of their parents. Hochman is not of like mind, and just last week transferred two deputies who petitioned a judge to grant parole to Erik and Lyle. The Menendez’ lawyer, Bryan Freedman, issued a letter to Hochman since he took office, suspecting him of working against the brothers.
“Instead of wanting to meet with the victim’s family members that can share their own personal experiences of years watching and speaking directly with Lyle and Erik, you chose to meet with Milton Anderson’s attorney first … It does not make any sense to my client,” he wrote. Anderson is the brother of Kitty Menendez, the mother of Erik and Lyle.
Freedman said, “I thought that when you were ready to meet or talk to the victims that you would want to meet or hear from the victims that knew Lyle and Erik best over the past 30 plus years of incarceration. Instead of that happening, I was very surprised to read that you had instead spoken with the attorney who represented the one family member who did not interact with Erik and Lyle over these past 30-plus years.”
Hochman’s full interview with Holt airs tonight at 6:30 pm ET on NBC News.
