Do Menendez Brothers Pose A Public Safety Threat? Parole Board To Decide June 13

LOS ANGELES, CA — A state parole board will conduct separate hearings for Erik and Lyle Menendez in June and then send their reports to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will use the filings to help him decide whether they should get out of prison.

Newsom discussed the Menendez brothers' application for clemency on his podcast this week, offering new insight into the process that he first announced in November.

"On June 13, both Lyle and Erik Menendez will have their final hearing. A report then will be submitted to me on the 13th of June for consideration," Newsom said on "This Is Gavin Newsom."

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

Newsom last month revealed he ordered an investigation into whether the brothers pose a risk to public safety. Described as a routine probe, Newsom said the inquiry would be conducted by experts in public safety as well as forensic psychologists. The state Board of Parole Hearings will conclude that investigation on June 13, he said.

The brothers' request for Newsom to get them out of prison is just one of several avenues they're pursuing for their freedom.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman set one of those efforts back earlier this week 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.

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 is hoping to withdraw that request, citing a series of 20 lies he said the brothers have told over the years.

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

On his podcast, Newsom said his work on the case and Hochman's are completely separate, though the judge who is considering resentencing will get a copy of the parole board's investigation.

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.