Newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has made a shocking change in the pending resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez.
At a press conference on Monday, Hochman announced that the position of his office is that the brothers have been telling "lies" for the "past 30 years." Hochman added that neither brother has taken full responsibility for killing their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. "In looking at whether they have exhibited full insight and complete responsibility for their crimes, they have not," he said. "Our position is that they shouldn't get out of jail."
Hochman said his office is "prepared to go forward" with a resentencing hearing, but at the same time requested "in the interests of justice" that the court consider withdrawing a motion filed by former D.A. George Gascón which requested the resentencing.
Related: District Attorney Reaches Decision on Menendez Brothers' Resentencing
However, he did offer the Menendez brothers a "pathway" for his office to support their resentencing. But in order for Hochman to consider that, both Lyle and Erik would have to "admit" to 16 lies he alleges they told about the events surrounding the murders.
In a press release (via The Guardian), Hochman outlined what he claims are mistruths in the brothers' defense. He doesn't believe they were genuinely in "fear that their mother and father were going to kill them the night of Aug. 20, 1989, justifying the brutal murders of their parents with shotgun blasts through the back of their father's head, a point-blank blast through their mother's face, and shots to their kneecaps to stage it as a Mafia [sic] killing," Hochman said.
"If they acknowledge the lies they have told for over 30 years, then we will certainly evaluate the quality of that sincerity," Hochman said during the press conference, adding that both brothers have so far "failed to meet the requirements" to display they no longer pose a threat to society.