The Los Angeles County District Attorney is set to provide an update on the famous Menendez brothers case, as the pair seeks freedom after being convicted of the murder of their parents in 1996.
DA Nathan Hochman, who has been noncommittal on his opinion on the case since taking office in December, will address reporters at 1 p.m., according to his office.
The brothers have spent nearly 35 years in prison.
In October, then-DA George Gascón announced that his office would reexamine the case in the light of new evidence. That evidence involves a letter written by Erik Menendez just months before he and his brother, Lyle, killed their parents with a shotgun at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They were 21 and 18 at the time, respectively.
The letter supposedly details alleged sexual abuse committed by their father, Jose Menendez.
The case gained notoriety in the 1990, after Erik confessed to the killings. Both were arrested and were included in a lengthy legal process which included a 1994 mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. They were later retried and convicted in 1996, and were sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The decision look into resentencing was made one month before Gascón lost his bid for reelection against Hochman. In the lead-up to the election and in the immediate aftermath, he said he was going to “do the hard work” before deciding to proceed with resentencing efforts.
Earlier this month, two prosecutors in the DA’s Office said they were demoted by Hochman after showing support for resentencing, a move they said they were “obligated” to do after examining evidence.
The DA’s Office declined KTLA’s request for comment regarding the accusations made.
