Menendez Brothers' Family ‘Grateful' to Gavin Newsom for Seeking Risk Assessment Ahead of Clemency Decision
Cousins of Erik and Lyle Menendez said Thursday they are 'grateful' to Gov. Gavin Newsom and 'thrilled' that he asked the state parole board for a risk assessment, as he considers whether to grant the brothers clemency.
The cousins, Anamaria Baralt and Tamara Goodell, held a Zoom press conference Thursday to discuss developments in the brothers' case.
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They also said it was 'hurtful' to see Los Angeles D.A. Nathan Hochman's presentation last week, in which he cited a history of 'lies and deceit' in explaining why he opposes a new trial.
The Menendez brothers have served 35 years in prison for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty. They are serving life without the possibility of parole. In recent months, their relatives have stepped up efforts to secure their release, arguing their brains were affected by years of childhood sexual abuse, and that their good works in prison show they have been rehabilitated.
On Wednesday, Newsom discussed the Menendez case in a trailer for his new personal podcast, 'This Is Gavin Newsom,' a product of iHeartPodcasts. Promising that the podcast 'may even break some news,' he said he had requested the investigation of whether the brothers pose a threat to public safety.
The governor did not give an indication of whether he is inclined to grant clemency to the brothers, though he said the investigation is part of a due diligence effort.
'We're incredibly grateful that Gov. Newsom is paying attention to this case,' Baralt said Thursday. 'For our family, it is a huge sigh of relief that someone in a seat of power is paying attention.'
The Menendez brothers are due to have a resentencing hearing on March 20-21 in Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys. The hearing was requested by D.A. George Gascón, who was defeated by Hochman in November.
Hochman has yet to say whether his office is still committed to the request, which would lower the brothers' sentences to 50 years to life and make them immediately eligible for parole.
But last week, Hochman did say he opposes the brothers' habeas corpus petition for a new trial. The brothers' appellate lawyers filed the petition in 2023, arguing that new evidence had come to light that substantiated their claims of abuse.
Hochman cast doubt on that evidence in lengthy presentation, as well as in a companion video and an 87-page 'informal response.' He argued that the claims are part of a 'continuum of lies' that the brothers have told since the night of the murders.
'What we heard from the L.A. District Attorney's office felt very disparaging,' Goodell said Thursday. 'It felt like a continuation of the narrative from 1989. It was very frustrating.'
Baralt said the feelings were amplified because she and dozens of other family members had met in January with Hochman, and shared their anguish about how the case has unfolded over the last several decades.
'It felt really hurtful to a lot of us,' she said.
Shortly after taking office in December, Hochman transferred the two deputies — Brock Lunsford and Nancy Theberge — who had handled the Menendez case under Gascón. Baralt said that both deputies had been 'tremendous' and 'supportive' and were 'very well informed about trauma.'
Goodell also said the family's relationship is 'completely different' with Hochman, compared to Gascón, saying Gascón 'seemed much more open to modern thought processes.'
Hochman is expected to announce his position on resentencing in about two weeks.
Newsom discussed the Menendez case on 'Politickin',' his other iHeart podcast, which he co-hosts with retired Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and sports agent Doug Hendrickson.
In a November episode, he said he would hold off on a clemency decision to allow Hochman — who had just defeated Gascón handily — an opportunity to review the case.
'It's the right thing to do — to hear from the new D.A. — before I make any decisions,' Newsom said. 'That's something, by the way, I haven't said publicly, but I think is important under the circumstance, out of respect not just to him, the new incoming D.A., but those that elected him rather overwhelmingly in Los Angeles.'
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