(Patriot.buzz) – In an unexpected development, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared that Erik and Lyle Menendez might soon be on the path to freedom.
See the tweet below!
With parole board hearings slated for mid-June, the Menendez brothers, convicted of the brutal murders of their parents in 1989, could see their life sentences without parole re-evaluated.
This contentious move has stirred significant opposition, raising intense debate over their culpability and claims of self-defense.
Governor Newsom announced that the state parole boards will conduct separate hearings for the Menendez brothers on June 13.
This decision paves the way for possible clemency, a prospect that seems to challenge the initial guilty verdicts.
Newly surfaced evidence from 2023 alleging self-defense due to sexual abuse by their father, José Menendez, complicates the matter, yet Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman remains firm in his opposition.
Hochman insists that the brothers have not accepted responsibility for their actions and continue to propagate what he calls “false claims” about their parents.
The statement of self-defense has faced considerable skepticism, with Hochman noting, “As a full examination of the record reveals, the Menendez brothers have never come clean and admitted that they lied about their self-defense as well as suborned perjury…”
The case has been muddled by conflicting accounts over the years, starting with the brothers’ initial claim that their parents’ deaths were a mafia hit.
Later, they shifted their defense narrative to one of self-defense, stating they feared their parents.
Despite the new evidence, Hochman withdrew his support for resentencing, dismissing it as insufficient for a retrial.
“If the Menendez brothers, at some point, unequivocally, sincerely and fully accept complete responsibility for all their criminal actions, acknowledge that the self-defense defense was phony and their parents weren’t going to kill them,” Hochman said, cited by The Hollywood Reporter.
Furthermore, Governor Newsom emphasizes that the parole board will assess various factors, including the brothers’ risk to the public, their impact on victims, and conduct during imprisonment.
“A report then will be submitted to me on the 13th of June for consideration,” Newsom stated.
This report will play a crucial role in his clemency decision.
Gavin Newsom sets date for Menendez brothers’ final parole hearing as he weighs clemency https://t.co/nyBczHYsG0 pic.twitter.com/4BlZ78ep5m
— New York Post (@nypost) March 12, 2025
Attorney Mark Geragos, representing the Menendez brothers, argues that justice demands their release if the law is faithfully applied.
Over 20 relatives of the brothers are now backing their clemency plea, believing their 35-year incarceration suffices as punishment.
“The law’s gonna be followed. And if the law’s followed, they should be out,” Geragos said.
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