Menendez Brothers' Clemency Fate Could Be Decided In June, Gavin Newsom Says; Siblings' Family Accuse LA DA Of 'Outrageous & Abusive Behavior'
California's governor revealed tonight the fate of the Menendez brothers will take a pivotal turn in the next 90 days towards possible freedom.
'On June 13, both Lyle and Eric Menendez independently will have their final hearing,' Gavin Newsom said late Tuesday in a shorten version of his recently launched podcast in response the March 10 announcement by LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman pulling his office's support for a resentencing of the siblings.
More from Deadline
10 Brand New Emmy-Eligible Shows Coming This Spring
'With Love, Meghan' Struggles To Match 'Harry & Meghan' Numbers As It Scrapes Into Netflix's Ratings Chart
Stephen King's 'Cujo' Still Has Bite; Netflix Sets Movie Deal For Classic Thriller Novel
Coming just over two weeks after Hochman rejected new trials for the brothers, who were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for the brutal 1989 shotgun murder of their parents, Monday's declaration by the D.A. that the Menendezs 'do not meet the standards for rehabilitation' heated up the game of political hot potato this case has become in the Golden State the last six months.
Tonight, two weeks after Newsom ordered a parole board risk assessment of the Menendez cases, the lame duck governor picked up what Hochman put down, literally and figuratively, and ran with it.
'A report then will be submitted to me on the 13th of June for consideration,' Newsom said on his podcast of the now 50-ish brothers are a risk to society. 'We will submit that report to the judge for the resentencing, and that will weigh into our independent analysis of whether or not to move forward with the clemency application to support a commutation of this case.'
As it stands, even with Hochman's anti-resentencing decision, a much delayed hearing is still on the court calendar for March 20-21 in front of L.A. Superior Court Michael Jesic.
How much weight that hearing will carry even if it occurs at this point is debatable. If Judge Jesic was to rule in favor of resentencing, it would go to the parole board who would then issue a report to the governor. Most of that process is already in motion with Newsom's risk assessment order of February 26 and now the June 13 date he laid down late Tuesday.
To that, while denying ever watching a full episode of Ryan Murphy and Netflix's hit Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story series, Newsom deftly offered both a slight compliment and a swipe at Hochman Tuesday 'So, this was a very significant announcement from the DA this week, but it doesn't fundamentally change the facts as it relates to the independent investigation in my office, the Board of Parole hearings, or fundamentally change or alter the process that's underway with the resentencing,' the two-term Democrat said of the former Republican who many believe is eyeing the Governor's mansion in Sacramento.
Hochman, it should be stressed, told Deadline in a December sit-down that 'I absolutely tell you I am not running for that job.'
In the blood feuds and celebrity connections that often make up LA politics, Hochman's successor George Gascón suddenly jumped on the Menendez bandwagon in the dying days of his unsuccessful reelection campaign last fall. The ex-two-term San Francisco DA said he was backing a resentencing of the brothers. Media savvy Gascón also put his support behind a clemency petition sent to Newsom in late 2024. Not long after Hochman's big win over Gascón, Newsom asserted that he would put any clemency movies on hold until the new D.A. got a chance to get his head around the case.
While making no secret of his disdain for Gascón, Hochman has also made no secret both on February 21 and on March 10 of a desire for Newsom to take the high-profile Menendez burden off his shoulders. Over and over last month, the new-ish DA spoke of the 'absolutely unilateral full power, Constitutional power' the Governor possesses to commute the brothers' individual sentences.
With the Menendez ball almost solidly in Newsom's court now, Hochman found himself accused by a member of the siblings' family of treating them with 'dismissive, aggressive, and shaming behavior' during face-to-face meetings.
'Instead of responding with compassion, acknowledgment, or support, DA Hochman proceeded to verbally and emotionally re-traumatize the family by shaming us for allegedly not listening to his public press briefings,' Menendez cousin Tamara Goodell said in a March 6 letter of Hochman and his alleged 'outrageous and abusive behavior' at early January meetings with members of the family who want the brothers' freed. 'His hostile, dismissive, and patronizing tone created an intimidating and bullying atmosphere, leaving us, the victims, more distressed and feeling humiliated,' Goodell went on to say in the missive to the U.S. Attorney's office claiming the DA violated her rights under Marsy's Law, the state's bill of rights for victims by his conduct.
Goodell says she thinks it might be better if Hochman is removed from the Menendez matter and the likes of California Attorney General Rob Bonta take over.
'The original submissions to the US Attorney's Office and the LADA's office were submitted on March 8th, 2025 at 2:16 p.m.,' Goodell also said to Deadline today. 'As of 5:20pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, there has been no response via phone or email,' she added. As the victims' family, I hoped to see D.A. Hochman act with impartiality, instead my family and I have been met with hostility and unprofessional behavior at every turn. We don't understand why, but we do hope that that the Inspector General and US Attorney's Office are paying attention and ensure the DA starts behaving in a manner that is befitting of his position.'
Deadline reached out tp the LA County District Attorney's office on Tuesday about Goodell's concerns. There was been no response. If they do reply, this post will be updated.
Best of Deadline
10 Brand New Emmy-Eligible Shows Coming This Spring
2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
The Fox News To White House Pipeline: TV Personalities Who Joined The Trump Administration
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
4 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Gavin Newsom is having his social media moment
'Fuck around' and 'find out,' read a TikTok post, following a screenshot announcing that California is suing President Donald Trump for deploying the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles. But the TikTok wasn't shared by a typical meme account—it came from California Governor Gavin Newsom. 'I damn near fell over when I realized this was Gov. Newsom's page,' one user commented. Since Friday, demonstrations have erupted across Los Angeles in protest of the president's immigration policies and the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Although many of the demonstrations have remained peaceful, there have been violent incidents including authorities deploying tear gas and rubber bullets, and protestors setting Waymo vehicles ablaze throughout the city. As tensions escalated, the Trump administration deployed the National Guard and Marines—despite objections from local officials—sparking a lawsuit from the state, threats of arrest against Governor Newsom, and a surge of defiant memes. 'And remember kids, the next time anybody tells you 'the government wouldn't do that', oh yes they would,' says the popular TikTok sound used on Newsom's official account video, playing over screenshots of news headlines and images of armed forces confronting demonstrators. In another viral video from the governor's page, which amassed over 5.4 million views, Taylor Swift's 'You Need To Calm Down' plays over a series of photos of the two politicians. 'r u ok?' the post asks, with a caption reading: 'America's keyboard warrior.' Newsom's clapback drew widespread praise in the comments. 'I do disagree with Newsom a lot but him standing up to tyranny and standing with your state takes some serious guts. Hats off to you Newsom,' wrote one user. He's also taken to his personal account to deliver meme-laced messages to Trump—one featuring a photoshopped image of the president wearing a crown, captioned 'send in the troops.' The slideshow ends with a shot from the musical Hamilton, with text reading: 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. It's time for all of us to stand up.' The online showdown has significantly boosted Newsom's social media presence, growing his personal TikTok account by approximately 397,000 followers and his official Governor account by 479,000 since Friday. Newsom is the latest in a growing number of politicians leveraging memes and social media to bypass traditional media and speak directly to the public through humor. Famously, Kamala Harris gained momentum during her presidential campaign with ' Brat summer ' and the coconut tree trend, while Joe Biden leaned into the viral ' Dark Brandon ' meme during his reelection campaign. Although meme strategies can generate enthusiasm and visibility, the 2024 election results suggest that online popularity doesn't always translate at the polls.
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Harris Yulin, Emmy-Nominated Actor of ‘Scarface' and ‘Ozark,' Dies at 88
Harris Yulin, a prolific Emmy-nominated actor whose career spanned more than five decades across film, television, and stage, died Tuesday of cardiac arrest in New York City. He was 88. The character actor's many films include 'Scarface,' 'Clear and Present Danger, and 'Training Day.' He also played Buddy Dieker on the Netflix series 'Ozark' from 2017 to 2018. He guested on 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and was Emmy nominated in 1996 for a guest role on 'Frasier.' He made his film debut in 1970 in the black comedy 'End of the Road,' but landed his first featured role in Brian De Palma's 1983 'Scarface' as Mel Bernstein, a dirty narcotics cop. The actor was always memorable even in small parts, such as the New York judge in 'Ghostbusters II' who agrees to reverse murder charges for a pair of rampaging ghosts. Yulin was a well-respected theater actor, making New York debut in 1963 in 'Next Time I'll Sing to You' and first appeared on Broadway in the 1980s production of 'Watch on the Rhine.' He also starred in Broadway productions of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' 'The Price,' and 'Hedda Gabler.' The actor was set to begin production on the MGM+ series 'American Classic,' opposite Kevin Kline and Laura Linney. Series co-creator Michael Hoffman told The Hollywood Reporter, 'Harris Yulin was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered.' Yulin was married to actress Gwen Welles Nashville from 1975 until her death in 1993 at age 42. He is survived by his second wife, actress Kristen Lowman, and his son-in-law Ted, nephew Martin and godchildren Marco and Lara. The post Harris Yulin, Emmy-Nominated Actor of 'Scarface' and 'Ozark,' Dies at 88 appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liam Payne's Family Approves His Inclusion in Netflix's ‘Building the Band'
When Netflix premieres its latest musical competition series 'Building the Band' next month, the late Liam Payne will be featured as a guest judge. Thankfully, his family 'has reviewed the series and is supportive of his inclusion,' the streamer shared on Wednesday. 'Building the Band' will essentially combine elements of 'Love Is Blind' and 'Making the Band' in order to give contestants the chance to craft their ideal musical group … all without seeing each other face-to-face. Payne will be a guest judge on the reality TV series opposite mentor and head judge Nicole Scherzinger, host AJ McLean and fellow guest judge Kelly Rowland. The One Direction singer filmed the show prior to his death in October 2024. He was 31. All four of the aforementioned names, of course, come with plenty of expertise to share about being in bands — Payne was famously part of 1D after being put together on 'The X Factor,' while Scherzinger was in The Pussycat Dolls, Rowland was in Destiny's Child and McLean was in The Backstreet Boys. ''Building the Band' brings together talented singers for a truly unique competition show where building the perfect band is all about chemistry. The singers are in complete control as they seek to form their very own bands in individual 'booths' without ever seeing each other. All they have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit,' per show's the logline. 'What will happen when the bands finally meet, and looks, choreography and style come into play? With incredible performances, compelling drama and one big goal — to find the next great music band — the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.' Executive producers include Cat Lawson, Alison Holloway, Katrina Morrison, Clara Elliot and Simon Crossley, while Remarkable Entertainment and Banijay UK produced. The first four episodes of 'Building the Band' drop July 9 on Netflix, followed by two more batches of episodes the following two Wednesdays. The post Liam Payne's Family Approves His Inclusion in Netflix's 'Building the Band' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
