Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his hours-long meeting with the Menendez brothers’ family on Friday provided him “useful information” as he parses the case ahead of a resentencing hearing scheduled for Jan. 30 and Jan. 31.
In a press conference later that afternoon, the newly elected D.A. provided an update on the high profile murder case that has drawn heightened international attention since Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” earlier last fall.
Hochman said that he met with a number of the victims’ family members Friday – “virtually all of them were there today,” he said. And while several family member’s stance have been made public in recent months as some advocate for the release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, Hochman added, “Hearing it live directly from them is a very useful, additional way to learn that information.”
“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 directions that they wanted this case to go,” he said. “It was a very productive conversation over a number of hours.”
The district attorney added that he will take into account the anecdotal information he received from the family as well as thousands of pages of trial transcripts, 30 years of prison files to inform his decision and conversations with additional related parties and prosecutors involved in the case over the last 35 years.
“Right now the resentencing hearing set for Jan. 30 and 31. That date is the date we’re working against, and if that changes we will certainly let you know,” he said. “We will continue to do this difficult but important work of reviewing the facts of the law to make the right decision in this case.”
Hochman did not reveal the contents of the conversation with the family because it was an “informal, off-the-record conversation,” but the district attorney reiterated that he will take his time in making a final decision.
“We’re going to spend the time necessary to get this decision right,” he said. “There’s not a lot of free time in my life right now, but that’s OK. I didn’t sign up for a job that said I was going to have a lot of free time.”
One primary aspect the D.A. will analyze is the brothers’ rehabilitation efforts. This can include helpful prison initiatives, bad behavior in prison or self-improvement.
Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently serving life in prison with no parole after the brutal murder of their parents in 1989 in their Beverly Hills home. After several documentaries, a swell of online support and the Murphy television series, the brothers are receiving heightened media attention three decades after their case was first tried.
Hochman said that there has been no formal decision made for whether or not he will meet with the Menendez brothers, but he did reiterate that each brother will be tried separately, for their crimes and their rehabilitation efforts.
When asked if the family mentioned involving the California Attorney General in the case during their meeting, Hochman said they did not.
“They did not express that to me at this meeting,” he clarified. “I don’t believe that there’s any conflict of interest or justification for the state attorney general to take over this case. Ultimately, the state attorney general can do their own analysis and reach whatever conclusion they want.”
Later Friday in a statement provided to media, Hochman echoed his press conference messaging. Read that statement as received by TheWrap in full below:
“Earlier today, I had the opportunity to meet with approximately 25 members of the Menendez family to discuss their concerns regarding the ongoing review of the Menendez brothers’ case. It was a productive and important conversation, and I deeply appreciate the family’s willingness to share their perspectives.
“This meeting is part of our thorough review of the facts and the law, including analyzing thousands of pages of confidential prison records, transcripts from two months long trials, and appellate decisions. In addition to speaking with victim family members, we are speaking with prosecutors involved with the case, law enforcement, and defense counsel in order to reach a decision on the habeas and resentencing motions that we will then defend in court.
“I appreciate the opportunity to engage with the Menendez family and will continue to approach this matter with the utmost care and diligence.”
