Los Angeles DA May Reconsider Menendez Brothers Resentencing if 'Lies' Are Admitted

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has publicly stated that he would reconsider the resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez—convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion—if they come clean about their "lies." The Menendez brothers have been serving life sentences since their conviction but have sought reduced sentences in recent years.

Hochman, speaking to ABC News, emphasized that the brothers must "sincerely and unequivocally admit, for the first time in over 30 years, the full range of their criminal activity and all the lies that they have told about it." According to him, the brothers have a long track record of deceit, with a list of 20 lies identified over the decades, only four of which they have acknowledged.

This development follows Hochman’s March 10 announcement that he plans to withdraw a resentencing motion initiated by his predecessor, George Gascon. The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a group advocating for the brothers’ release, is expected to rally outside Hochman’s office later this week, urging reconsideration of their case.

The Menendez brothers, who have claimed for years that they suffered abuse at the hands of their father, argue that this context was not adequately considered during their trial. Their lawyers maintain that the brothers should have been convicted of manslaughter—not murder—which would have made them eligible for release by now. However, Hochman countered that abuse was not their primary defense during the trial and that corroborating evidence was lacking.

"The essence of that checklist is that they'd have to finally admit after 30 years, they killed their parents willfully, deliberately, and in premeditated fashion, not because they believed that their parents were going to kill them that night," Hochman said. A resentencing hearing, originally scheduled for March 20-21, has been delayed to April 11.

The case has continued to intrigue the public, with a recent documentary titled "The Menendez Brothers" shedding new light on the brothers' allegations of sexual abuse by their father. The documentary includes audio interviews that have sparked renewed interest in their story.

Hochman, who met with both sides of the Menendez family after his election, remains firm in his stance, stating that the brothers' persistent dishonesty undermines their efforts for leniency. Yet the public's fascination with the case seems far from waning—an age-old cocktail of crime, privilege, and alleged family secrets that grips us all.