Gavin Newsom Delays Menendez Brothers Pardon Decision

Eric And Lyle Menendez They will have to wait a little longer to find out if their sentences will be commuted or commuted, more than 20 years after they were convicted.

Governor of California Gavin Newsom announced Monday, Nov. 18, that he would hold off on deciding whether to grant him a pardon until the incoming Los Angeles District Attorney reviews his case.

“The governor respects the district attorney’s role in ensuring the administration of justice and recognizes that voters have entrusted District Attorney-elect Hochman with this responsibility,” Newsom’s office said Monday. said in a statement. “The governor will defer to the DA-elect’s review and analysis of the Menendez case before making any leniency decisions.”

Last month, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gaskin recommended that Lyle, 56, and Eric, 53, be resentenced to include the possibility of parole. The brothers are currently serving a life sentence for the murder of their parents in 1989. Kitty And Jose Menendezafter the 1996 conviction.

Related: The extended family of the Menendez brothers petitioned for their release: statement

The extended family of Lyle Menendez and Eric Menendez is calling for their release from prison as new Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman prepares to take office in December. Brian Friedman – the attorney for the 24 extended family members of the Menendez brothers’ parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez – released a statement. […]

However, on election day, Gascon lost his bid for re-election, losing. Nathan Hochmanwho will be sworn in on December 2. During a DA debate before the election, Hochman called the timing of Gascón’s interest in the brothers “suspicious,” but promised to review the case in a timely manner.

Hochman said that if the case is not resolved at a Nov. 25 habeas petition hearing — when a judge will hear a request to overturn the brothers’ first-degree murder convictions — he will decide whether Whether to recommend re-sentence. The brothers’ resentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11, and Hochman has indicated he plans to ask the court for additional time to review the case before that date.

“I will not delay for the sake of delay because this case is very important to the Menendez brothers,” Hochman said in an interview earlier this month. “It’s very important to the families of the victims. It’s very important to the public not to delay the review that people should expect from a district attorney.

Related: Menendez-Bruce had ‘little hope’ of being released from prison before a new hearing.

Lyle and Eric Menendez got a new hearing, but remain realistic about the possibility of being released from prison. “I think to say they’re cautiously optimistic is probably the best way to put it,” Lyle and Eric’s attorney Mark Geragos told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, Oct. 10. “They understand patience.” noted the 67-year-old lawyer. […]

While Hochman noted that such a review would require analyzing thousands of pages of transcripts and files, Hochman assured constituents that they would still be able to make a decision relatively quickly.

“Whatever position I ultimately take, people should expect that I’ve spent a long time thinking about it and analyzing the evidence,” he explained. “But my 34 years of criminal justice experience — including hundreds of cases as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney — allows me to do this type of thorough review quickly and with speed because I have It has done so in many cases before.”