The family of Lyle and Erik Menendez said they were hurt and disappointed after the Los Angeles district attorney denied the killer siblings a new trial – while lauding their relationship with the leftist former prosecutor who pushed for the brothers’ release last year.
Family members said DA Nathan Hochman lacked the understanding and sympathy his predecessor George Gascón had for the alleged sexual abuse the murderous duo experienced before they gunned down their wealthy parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 30 years ago.
“The relationship is absolutely different. Gascón seemed much more open to modern thought processes of the law today and what compassion looks like and what does trauma informed practice look like,” Tamara Goodell, the brothers’ cousin, said during a webinar Thursday afternoon.
“Very honestly, what we heard from the LADA’s office the other day felt very disparaging. It felt like a continuation of the narrative from 1989 and very honestly, it was very frustrating.”
Hochman announced his recommendation on Feb. 21 that the LA County Superior Court deny the brothers’ request for a retrial due to new evidence that the pair had been molested by their father – a request Gascón supported in October in light of the fresh findings.
The pair were convicted of killing their parents, José Menendez, a wealthy music producer, and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, execution-style in August 1989.
They were sentenced to life without parole following two highly publicized trials that made Erik and Lyle – who were then 21 and 18, respectively – household names.
The murderous pair asked for a new trial following the discovery of a bombshell note Erik wrote in 1988 detailing the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, in addition to a claim from a member of the band Menudo that José had also molested him.
But Hochman argued that corroborating evidence was too weak to justify a new trial.
Anna Maria Baralt, José’s niece, said she wasn’t surprised by the newly-elected prosecutor’s decision but called his rhetoric harmful to other victims of sexual abuse.
“The danger of presenting that 1990s narrative under today’s law – laws and modern understanding of trauma – is that it ignores how far we have come in recognizing the long-term effects of abuse and the systemic barriers that keep victims silent,” she said.
“Today we understand that trauma re-wires the brain and shapes a person’s actions and decisions in ways that were not fully appreciated decades ago.”
Despite their frustration, Erik encouraged his loved ones to remain focused and strong, his family said – advice that held up less than a week later when California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state parole board to conduct a “risk assessment” of the brothers.
The Menendez family said they gasped with relief upon hearing the “great” news Wednesday, adding they are confident the parole board will determine the brothers are not a risk to public safety and set them free.
“We are incredibly grateful that Gov. Newsom is paying attention to this case,” Baralt said.
“This, for our family, is a huge sigh of relief that someone in a seat of power is paying attention to what we have seen up close since Erik and Lyle have been incarcerated.”
The brothers have also asked the court for resentencing, a pardon from the governor, and eligibility for parole based on evidence of rehabilitation and good behavior behind bars.
The murders had largely fallen out of the spotlight until the 2024 Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” sparked new public interest in their case.
