At a news conference on Feb 21, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office will oppose a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Erik and Lyle Menendez seeking a new trial for the brothers. The petition is one of three possible pathways for release for the two. Hochman indicated that he is still deciding whether he will recommend a resentencing. A hearing on the resentencing is set to begin on March 20 at Van Nuys Courthouse West. Attorneys for the brothers have also filed an application for clemency through Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. Erik and Lyle Menendez have served more than 35 years of their life sentences after being convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills.
The brothers’ current attempts to gain a new trial, resentencing or release hinge in part on new evidence that may corroborate claims their parents sexually abused the brothers. A letter from Erik Menendez to a cousin implies the abuse continued up until months before the killings. Roy Rosselló, a pop singer, also made a statement that he was abused by the brothers’ father.
