'You're The Liar:' Menendez Brothers' Supporters Urge DA To Reconsider Position

LOS ANGELES, CA — Members of Erik and Lyle Menendez and other supporters rallied outside the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Thursday, urging the DA to reconsider his opposition to resentencing the brothers.

The gathering came 10 days after Hochman outlined a series of what he said were ongoing lies the brothers have told and said he would not support their bid for freedom until they own up to the mistruths. On Thursday, some protestors' signs bore images of Hochman's face with the message "you're the liar."

"Accountability should not be weaponized to deny people the second chance they worked so hard for," said Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers and part of the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition. Baralt said the advocates were speaking up "for every person who has been told ... that the worst thing they ever did defines them forever."

Baralt was joined by sentencing reform advocates and other relatives including Tamara Goodell, also a cousin of Erik and Lyle. They accused Hochman of ignoring the positive work Erik and Lyle Menendez have done in prison and clinging to old talking points that ignore more recent developments in the case.

"Today is about fairness and justice, and about not letting personal bias and politics get in the way ... of what is right," said Goodell, who added, "District Attorney Hochman doesn't seem to want to listen or engage with us."

Goodell added that since entering the prison system, the brothers have been model prisoners.

"They have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of incarcerated people. ... Erik and Lyle have spent three decades avoiding the pitfalls that suck people into the" worst aspect of the criminal justice system, she added.

• Read more: Menendez Brothers’ ‘20 Lies:’ Why DA Won’t Support Their Bid For Freedom

Hochman's predecessor had asked a judge to resentence the brothers such that they may have a chance at getting out of prison. But Hochman earlier this month began an effort to withdraw that request when he told a judge the Menendez brothers do not deserve to get out of prison because they've failed to fully accept responsibility for their crimes.

The brothers — who are serving life without parole for the 1989 shotgun murder of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez — are also asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to consider clemency in the form of a pardon or commutation of their sentences. Newsom has such broad powers under the state constitution.

A state parole board is investigating whether the brothers pose a threat to public safety. Newsom said he will use the results of that investigation to inform his decision.

Additionally, Hochman last month said his office would oppose a motion filed by the Menendez brothers' attorney seeking a new trial as part of a habeas petition. He challenged the attorneys' claims of new evidence they say supports allegations of sexual abuse of the brothers by their father.

Hochman argued the evidence is inadmissible on various grounds. He questioned whether the claims are actually new or being presented in a legally timely manner.

The brothers — now 57 and 54 — never denied carrying out the killings, but maintained they feared for their lives amid their father's abuse.

City News Service contributed to this report.