The Menendez brothers appeared remotely at a hearing held in Los Angeles County Superior Court on April 11.
The April 11 judge allowed the Menendez brothers to continue their hearing next week, which will be resented, despite objections from Los Angeles County District Attorney (DA) Nathan Hochman.
Judge Michael Jessick refused Hochman’s allegations to withdraw 57-year-old Lyle and 54-year-old Eric (54-year-old Eric), who spent more than 30 years behind the bar in 1989 for the murder of their parents.
After the hearing, the brother’s defense attorney, Mark Jelagos, thanked Jessick.
“Justice has outweighed politics,” Geragos said. “It took a long time for those who were in court. This is probably the biggest day since (brother) was taken into custody.”
The Menendez brothers appeared remotely at Los Angeles County Superior Court in Vannuis on April 11, wearing blue prison clothes. They are currently in prison in San Diego Prison.
Deputy District Attorney Habib Varian claimed to JESIC on behalf of the prosecutor that the brothers killed their parents for their multi-million dollar inheritance estate. Hochman attended the hearing.
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Geragos said his client acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by his father.
The claim against res was filed in October 2024 by Hochman’s predecessor, George Gascon.
At the time, gas consort was recommended. Menendez’s brothers replied with the possibility of parole instead of living in prison without parole.
On November 5th, 2024, Nathan Hochman defeated Gascon in the general election and became district attorney on December 3rd, 2024.
Hochman refused a new trial at a press conference on February 21 and filed a motion to withdraw Gascon’s recommendation that the Menendez brothers’ sentence would be shortened in March. Hochman said he believes his brothers do not show “full insight and full responsibility” for their crimes.
The brothers committed a crime before they turned 26, so if Jesic respects the recommendation that Gascón’s brother’s sentence for 50 years, they are eligible to be released under California law.
Eric and Lyle were 18 and 21 years old at the time of the murder, respectively.
A 60-page factual statement detailing the crime was included in Hochman’s March 10th filing. Hochmann explained at a press conference that his position was based in part on allegations of the brothers’ allegations that did not provide a consistent and clear motivation.
In 1996, the Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of their parents, Mary “Kitty” Menendez in 1989 and the 1980s entertainment executives Mary “Kitty” Menendez and Jose Menendez.
Attorney Mark Jelagos arrives on April 11, 2025 for a hearing on the case of Eric and Lyle Menendez in Los Angeles. Damien Dovalgen/AP Photo
According to Hochman, there were more than dozens of shotgun explosions that took place on the night of the murder, including the back of Jose Menendez’s head.
Menendez’s brothers ran out of ammunition, but Hochman claimed he reloaded his shotgun and shot his mother in the face. He added that the siblings shot their parents in the knees, mimicking the mafia hit.
Eric Menendez testified for seven days at his second trial, saying he had encountered sexual abuse from his father, ages 6 to 18. He recalls the sexual abuse his father experienced when his brother Lyle was between the ages of six and eight.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
