The Menendez brothers’ request for resentencing could become two separate cases that might lead to different outcomes for Erik and Lyle, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a recent interview.
Hochman sat down with NBC News’ Lester Holt, and while much of what he told the national outlet echoes the sentiments he expressed to KTLA after his election last month, he did reveal that the brothers are not a “package deal,” as Holt described them.
“While they’re called the ‘Menendez brothers case,’ there’s an Erik Menendez case and Lyle Menendez case. There’s actually two different victims, there’s a Jose Menendez, the father, and Kitty Menendez, the mother. So we will look at each case separately, which the way they actually should be handled. We’ll look at each victim separately, which is what the law actually demands us to do in reaching the ultimate decision of a resentencing.”
Erik and Lyle Menendez killed their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
While the men’s involvement in their parents’ deaths is not disputed, evidence has emerged since their 1995 conviction indicating that Jose Menendez may have sexually abused his boys and perhaps others, including at least one member of the boy band Menudo.
Hochman has not indicated if he agrees with his predecessor, former District Attorney George Gascón, in recommending resentencing for the Menendez brothers, a move that could result in their freedom.
Instead, Hochman has said he’s studying case files, speaking with everyone involved in the case and working to “determine whether resentencing is the remedy in this situation or whether what is asked for in the resentencing is the appropriate request.”
“I’m not in that position now, but I can tell you if I do have to make that call, I will do the hard work to make the right decision,” he told KTLA.