(NewsNation) — The Menendez brothers will learn Friday whether they will be granted a resentencing hearing.
A judge is expected to rule on a request from the LA County District Attorney’s Office to withdraw a resentencing petition. The potential resentencing hearing is set for April 17 or 18.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of shooting and killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, 30 years ago at their Beverly Hills home. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.
The brothers’ case was reopened in October of last year, when then-District Attorney George Gascón announced his office would reexamine the case in light of new evidence, which included a letter alleging sexual abuse purportedly written by Erik Menendez just months before the shooting.
In a request to withdraw the resentencing petition, newly elected DA Nathan Hochman said the brothers have not yet fully accepted responsibility for their crimes.
Hochman said the pair “fall short” of showing “full insight” into their actions, adding: “They do not meet the standards for rehabilitation.”
Family members of the Menendez brothers pushed back on Hochman’s statements. Cousin Tamara Goodell told a rally of resentencing supporters that “kids lie when they’re scared, when they feel intimidated, and when they become traumatized.”
“But they grow up, they learn, and they take responsibility,” Goodell said.
Hochman said he would consider resentencing in the future if the brothers “unequivocally, sincerely and fully accept complete responsibility for all their criminal actions” and acknowledge they fabricated a self-defense narrative.
NewsNation’s Michael Ramsey contributed to this report.
