Gavin Newsom said on a podcast Tuesday that Eric and Lyle Menendez, who have been seeking several legal routes to freedom after nearly 30 years of serving in prison for the murder of their parents, are seeking several legal routes to freedom.
An independent risk assessment, in which a group of experts and psychologists examine whether siblings pose a risk to the public, will be concluded on June 13th, Newsom said.
“Both Lyle and Eric Menendez will have an independent final hearing,” the governor said.
Once the assessment report is ready, the governor’s office will submit it to the judge for restinsing, conducting its own independent analysis to determine whether to support the brothers’ commute, Newsom said.
The governor also explained that the decision to reverse LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s request for ruling recommendation, which was filed by former Da George Gascon, would not affect the state’s parole board or his office’s decision on whether to support leniency.
Hochman said Tuesday that his office had decided to withdraw its responsive liability claim as the brothers failed to take full accountability and told 20 lies about the murder.
Despite the popular TV show that has raised interest in the Menendez brothers’ incident in recent years, Newsom said he has never seen them, including Ryan Murphy’s “Monster: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez.”
“I’ve seen a few clips all over social media, and I’m not going to watch these series because I don’t want to be influenced by them. I just want to be influenced by the facts,” Newsom said.
Mark Jelagos, the Menendez brothers’ lawyer, said he believes Eric and Lyle will be out of prison despite the unfortunate decision by the district attorney.
“We’ll follow the law, and if the law continues, they should come out,” Geragos said in an interview with NBC News on Monday, following Hochman’s press conference. “We’re focused on putting them out. We’re focused on showing them all the good work they do, and we’re not distracted by small minor complaints.”
Source link
