The family of Eric and Lyle Menendez blew up Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Monday, saying the brothers didn’t fully accept accountability for their parents’ murder.
Hochman said the brothers had told 20 lies about the murder, and since they did not acknowledge the majority of the lies, they “didn’t be able to provide full insight into their actions.”
However, Justice from Eric and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative advocating for the release of Eric and Lyle Menendez, challenged Hochmann’s claim that the brothers did not admit the lies they spoke about the murders.
“Eric and Lyle are not the same young boys they were more than 30 years ago,” the family said in a statement. “They apologized for their actions, which was the result of Jose’s sexual abuse and the possibility of Kitty. They apologised for the horrifying behavior they took. They apologised to us, and they demonstrated their a-sin through actions that helped improve countless lives.”
Hochman’s predecessor George Gascón had filed a recommendation a few weeks before he lost his re-elected bid for Hochman.
The family also condemned Hochman’s decision, saying the district attorney has been “blindfolded” by his brother’s claim that he has been repeatedly abused by his brother Jose and is afraid of their lives. ‘
“He should not message every young boy who is the victim of abuse and not come forward or tell you the truth because he is now demanding a lot from Eric and Lyle,” the family statement said.
The family accused the district attorney of breaking their promise to see “full photos,” but admitted that they didn’t talk to the family before making the announcement, shrugging at the expected criticism of his decision.
“If they characterize the meeting in any way they are trying to characterise it, even if it is,” the district attorney said.
A close family friend had harsh words for Hochman, who has called him “dog” in social media videos following the announcement.
“The idea that Eric and Lyle are not fully responsible or accountable for their actions is ridiculous. Anamaria Baratt, whose father was Jose Menendez’s best friend, said:
@anamariabaralt
Family Statement (March 10, 2025) – Justice of the Eric and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative defending the release of Eric and Lyle Menendez, today issued a statement in response to District Attorney Nathan Hochmann’s recommendation that Eric and Lyle did not meet ententencent standards until Eric and Lyle provide an apology. “District Attorney Hochman revealed today that he holds hostages for Eric, Lyle and our family. He appears to be sticking to their trauma-driven response to the 1989 murder. How many times do we need to bury who they are today and hear the same attempts to tear us apart in that painful time? Let’s be clear. Eric and Lyle are not the same young boys they were there over 30 years ago. They apologized for their actions, which were the result of Jose’s sexual abuse and the possibility of Kitty. They apologized for the horrifying actions they took. They apologized to us. And they demonstrated their tone crime through actions that helped to improve countless lives. But Da Hochman effectively asks them to apologise publicly for a checklist of actions they took in a state of shock and fear. Da Hochman has broken his promise to listen to us, protect politics from this review, and see the whole picture of this case. But perhaps the most unsettling thing was his less-threatening claim, not sexual abuse. He instead sent a message to all the young boys who are victims of the abuse, because he now demands a lot from Eric and Lyle. As a reminder, we are pursuing three paths for release, and we hope that the judges, the parole committee, and Governor Newsom will transcend the political game that governs Dahochmann’s recommendations on res timmensing. Importantly, we pray that they continue to understand the full scope of Trauma Eric, Lyle, and all of our families, and see overwhelmingly available evidence that they are ready to become productive citizens in our society. To find out more about Erik and Lyle Coalition’s justice and support our efforts, visit Justiceforerikandlyle.org #MenendezSupport #MenendezBrothers #Erikmenendez #Lylemenedez.
♬Original Sound-AnamariaBaralt
Ballard also said Hochman refused to consider allegations of sexual abuse by his brother.
“For some reason, I’m sorry that the district attorney has stuck with the story of the 1990s that this is an excuse for abuse,” she said in a social media post.
At a press conference Monday, Hochman said the sexual abuse allegations were not related to the recommendation of responsiveness, as the brother’s original defense was not about sexual abuse and thus the sexual abuse allegations were unrelated to the recommendation of responsiveness, as several issues occurred at trials in the ’90s.
“The ju-degrees were never asked to issue a verdict on sexual abuse. It was all about self-defense,” Hochman said.
