Attorneys representing Lyle and Erik Menendez’s loved ones are accusing Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman of parading “horrific and gruesome” crime scene photos for shock value.

In a seven-page motion filed in a Los Angeles County court on Monday, April 14, 2025, attorneys representing relatives of the convicted brothers accused the first-term D.A. of violating victims’ rights afforded by California’s Marsy’s Law, according to court records reviewed by Oxygen and published by Deadline. Attorneys sharply criticized Hochman for putting on “a grotesque spectacle” in court at a Friday, April 11 resentencing hearing by “gratuitously and needlessly” displaying photos of slain victims, Kitty and José Menendez, without prior warning.

Lyle and Eric Menendez are serving life without the possibility of parole for gunning down their parents inside their Beverly Hills home more than 35 years ago.

Attorneys claim photos caused trauma to the Menendez brothers’ family members

Signed by Bryan J. Freedman of the Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley, LLP law firm, representing nearly 20 family members, the document stated the incarcerated brothers’ 85-year-old aunt, Terry Baralt, had to be hospitalized as a direct result of seeing the graphic crime scene photos.

“The victims’ family members were shocked, sickened, and traumatized by the District Attorney’s callous act,” the motion stated. “This outrageous offense has had very real consequences.”

The aunt, identified as José Menendez’s New Jersey-based sister, was found unresponsive in her Los Angeles hotel room and rushed to the hospital, as first reported by TMZ. Lawyers argue Baralt, who is battling colon cancer, was traumatized by the shocking crime scene photos she had seen in court.

In a statement from the family and obtained by ABC 7’s Eyewitness News, relatives claimed, “No one prepared us. There was no warning, no humanity — just shock and pain inflicted on people who have already endured decades of grief.”

Relatives reported Baralt in critical condition, Fox News published Monday.

Attorneys decry a violation of victims’ rights

By airing photos of the high-profile 1989 double murder before the eyes of grieving family members, those siding with the defense stated Hochman “made a mockery” of Marsy’s Law, which grants victims “fairness and respect” and the right to be “free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse” during legal proceedings, including those post-conviction.

Furthermore, they accused Hochman of being partial and ignoring obligations to treat all victims fairly.

“The District Attorney’s behavior on April 11 constitutes an affront to victims everywhere,” the court filing stated. “Here, it is patently obvious that the District Attorney treated the victims’ family members as second-class victims, due to a policy disagreement between District Attorney Hochman and the victims’ family members.”

Those submitting the motion reminded the D.A. he was to represent “all victims, not simply those that share the Office’s policy views.”

Attorneys request the Menendez family be given due warning in further hearings

Relatives sought the court “admonish” the politician for his actions and requested advance notice be given, should crime scene photos be provided later in court.

Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian was also named in the complaint, next to Hochman, as a party that owed victims “an apology for their scandalous behavior.”

The Los Angeles County D.A.’s Office has yet to respond formally.

On April 9, Hochman said he was “prepared to move forward” with the April 11 hearing, despite requests to withdraw resentencing motions previously filed by former D.A. George Gascón, whom some accused of using the Menendez brothers’ case to curry favor in the 2024 election.

Before his loss, Gascón gained support from a recent, sympathetic movement that wished to see Lyle and Erik Menendez released after more than three decades behind bars, citing alleged physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their murdered parents. Hochman, however, has taken a stance less-than-favorable to the men serving life behind bars, calling his predecessor’s decision “political” and “devoid of merit,” as stated in a press release.

Hochman accused the brothers of not taking “complete responsibility” and continually lying about their claims of self-defense. He reminded the public that the brothers — aged 21 and 18 when the August 20, 1989 murders occurred — emptied a pair of shotguns into their parents and staged the crime scene to look like a mafia hit by shooting the victims’ kneecaps.

The sensationalized case was reviewed in the Peacock series, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.