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() Family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez are holding a rally and news conference Thursday outside the home of Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
The Menendez brothers have been jailed for decades after being convicted of fatally shooting their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. During their trials, the brothers said the killings came after years of sexual abuse by their father.
Both men were sentenced to life without parole.
Their case has recently received renewed attention on social media, much of it from a generation too young to have heard of the incident before.
The previous L.A. County district attorney recommended resentencing. Factors behind the recommendation included additional evidence that appears to corroborate claims of sexual abuse and a better understanding of child sexual assault and how it affects victims.
Since taking office, Hochman has moved to withdraw one of the pathways to resentencing. He has also said he would only support a resentencing, which would allow the brothers to be eligible for parole if they admit to what he says are numerous lies.
Hochman has been hesitant to address the sexual abuse claims in detail and has only said it was not the defense that Lyle and Erik Menendez used at trial. One criterion he has laid out is for the brothers to admit they did not kill their parents in self-defense, something Hochman claims they lied about.
In a news release, the Justice for Erik and Lyle Menendez Coalition, which is led by members of the family, said it would address the “DA’s relentless fixation on the past” and accused Hochman of silencing victims of sexual abuse.