California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered the state parole board to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment for Lyle and Erik Menendez, who seek freedom after 35 years for their parents’ 1989 murders. Defense attorneys Mark Geragos and Cliff Gardner confirmed the review will evaluate rehabilitation progress and public safety concerns.
The brothers’ legal team emphasized this step doesn’t guarantee commutation.
This reflects the Governor’s commitment to gather facts for a fair decision,they stated. No timeline exists for the parole board’s findings, which could influence clemency petitions or resentencing efforts.
Prosecutors remain divided. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman opposes a new trial but hasn’t ruled on resentencing. Sexual abuse allegations against the brothers’ father Jose Menendez – disputed as inadmissible in their 1996 trial – resurfaced in recent appeals. Hochman dismissed these claims as irrelevant to the killings, calling the siblings’ shifting narratives untrustworthy.
Key developments include:
- A March resentencing hearing that could grant immediate parole eligibility
- Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Storyrenewing public interest
- Extended family support for release despite Hochman labeling new evidence abhorrent
Legal experts note the case tests California’s evolving standards for rehabilitation assessments. Prison records spanning thousands of pages will factor into Hochman’s review, which Newsom awaits before making clemency decisions.
The brothers maintain they killed in fear of their father’s alleged abuse – claims prosecutors originally dismissed as financial murder motives. With conflicting testimonies and cultural reappraisals of trauma, this landmark case continues challenging legal definitions of justice and redemption.