LOS ANGELES (AP) — The district attorney of Los Angeles says he does not support the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, brothers who have spent more than 30 years in prison for killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday that his office was withdrawing his predecessor's request for a resentencing because the brothers have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents and “fell short” of taking full responsibility for their crimes.
The brothers have argued that they committed the crimes in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.
Before leaving office, previous district attorney George Gascón said he would reexamine the case given a renewed understanding of and empathy for sexual abuse victims.
The case has been back in the headlines following a docuseries and a released by Netflix.
Here’s a look at the timeline of the case:
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August 1989: Jose Menendez, an executive at RCA Records in Los Angeles, and his wife Kitty Menendez, are shot and killed in their Beverly Hills mansion.
March 1990: Lyle Menendez, then 21, is arrested. Eighteen-year-old Erik Menendez turns himself in a few days later. They are accused of first-degree murder.
July 1993: The Menendez brothers go on trial, each with a separate jury. Prosecutors argued that they killed their parents for financial gain. The brothers’ attorneys don’t dispute the pair killed their parents, but argued that they acted out of self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse by their father.
January 1994: Both juries deadlock.
October 1995: The brothers’ retrial begins, this time with a single jury. Much of the defense evidence about alleged sexual abuse is excluded during the second trial.
March 1996: Jurors convict both brothers of first-degree murder.
July 1996: The brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
February 1998: A California appeals court upholds the brothers' conviction.
May 1998: The California Supreme Court agrees with the appeals court decision.
October 1998: The brothers file habeas corpus petitions with the California Supreme Court, which are denied the next year.
August 1999: The brothers file habeas corpus petitions in federal district court, which are denied in 2003.
September 2005: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denies their habeas corpus appeal.
May 2023: Attorneys for the Menendez brothers ask the court to reconsider the conviction and sentence in light of new evidence from a former member of the boy band Menudo, who said he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was 14. In addition, they submit a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin about his father’s abuse before the killings.
September 2024: Netflix releases the crime drama “ ” a .
Oct. 4, 2024: .
Oct. 16, 2024: Multiple generations of family members of the Menendez brothers hold a news conference . The relatives say the jurors who sentenced them to life without parole in 1996 were part of a society that was not ready to hear that boys could be raped.
Oct. 24, 2024: Prosecutors say they will petition the court to , and that it could lead to their release.
Nov. 18, 2024: California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he would not decide on granting the brothers clemency until after the newly elected district attorney has a chance to review the case.
Nov. 25, 2024: A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge regarding the request for resentencing but says he needs more time to make a decision, pushing it back to Jan. 30 and 31 instead of Dec. 11 as originally planned.
Dec. 3, 2024: Nathan Hochman is sworn into office as the new district attorney of LA County.
Jan. 17, 2025: Due to the fires in the LA region, Hochman pushes the resentencing hearing back to March 20 and 21.
Feb. 21, 2025: Hochman says his office for the Menendez brothers. He cast doubt on the evidence of sexual abuse, including the letter Erik wrote to his cousin about his father's abuse, and said it was not pertinent to the case.
Feb. 26, 2025: California Gov. Gavin Newsom to conduct a “comprehensive risk assessment” to determine whether the brothers have been rehabilitated and if they would pose a danger to the public if released.
March 10, 2025: Hochman says his office the brothers because they have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents.
