A California lawmaker blames the attention on the Menendez brothers’ case for prompting a bill to resurface that could put thousands of killers back on the streets.

“California Democrats just opened the prison gates for over 1,600 cold-blooded killers,” Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, a Republican, shared in a statement with Fox News Digital. 

“Democrat lawmakers have proven time and time again they don’t care about the victim or their family. They don’t care about keeping the public safe. They care about defending killers.”

Jones added what makes this move even more interesting was the timing of it.

Erik and Lyle Menendez face a crucial parole board hearing in August with California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the decision-maker. (Getty Images)

Jones said the Menendez brothers are “getting special attention by the media and the Democrat leadership, who are really out of touch with everyday Californians.”

“Look, promoting this and pushing this idea is opening a Pandora’s box for 1,600 other special circumstance murderers that are in prison right now, and I just can’t support moving in a direction that allows so many of those people out on parole,” Jones said.

“I would argue if (the Menendez brothers) are truly rehabilitated, which I have some doubts about that, but if they are, then maybe the best place for them is in prison, where they can mentor and help other people that are coming into the prison system to get their lives turned around too.”

Jones added that releasing Erik and Lyle Menendez is not a risk he is willing to get behind.

“As a society, do we want to really take the risk of letting these two out or any of the other 1,600 special circumstance murders that we don’t know by name but are in prison for the same sentence? Do we really want to roll the dice and take the risk of allowing these people out and having the opportunity for any more victims in California? And I think the answer is a resounding no,” Jones said. 

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, and Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com