The timing of prosecutor Gascón’s decision in the Menendez case raises questions for some – Daily Breeze

When Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said earlier this month he would revisit the issue. The famous murder case of Erik and Lyle Menendez And Decide whether you want the judge to consider resentencing Some among the brothers, including his political rival, questioned the timing of the announcement.

Gascón, a Democrat He took office in 2020 He’s trailing in the polls by double digits thanks to his progressive voter base of criminal justice reform advocates bid for reelection this November.

And on Thursday, October 24, his opponent in the prosecutor’s race, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, accused the incumbent of using the Menendez brothers’ high-profile case to score political points. Hochman said in a statement that the DA’s office received a petition in May 2023 and a request to resent them in February of this year.

The Menendez brothers are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. But Gascon said on Thursday: will ask the judge to consider reducing the brothers’ sentences Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. Since the murders were committed when the brothers were under 26, this would effectively allow them to be released from prison immediately.

Hochman said Gascón waited until “days before the Nov. 5 election, when he was 30 points behind in the polls,” to issue his advice to get angry at the Menendez brothers.

“By releasing this now, Gascón has cast a shadow over the fairness and impartiality of his decision, allowing Angelenos to question whether the decision was right and fair, or whether it was just another desperate political move by a prosecutor running a losing campaign struggling to make headlines,” Hochman said. “It’s a made-for-TV decision,” he said.

Gascón denied allegations that his decision was politically motivated.

“There’s nothing political about this,” Gascón said at a news conference Thursday about his plans to ask the court to consider resentencing the Menendez brothers.

“We re-sentenced more than 300 people, including 28 for murder. “And we will continue to punish people again in the future,” he said.

The Democrat took office in 2020 thanks to his progressive voter base of criminal justice reform advocates. Hochman criticized the incumbent for being too soft on criminals.

Hochman isn’t the only one accusing Gascón of using the Menendez case to promote his own profile.

Some believe Gascón chose this moment; just a few weeks later Election Day – Bringing up the Menendez case, hoping that media attention would spark his publicity.

“When you run a campaign, when you’re a candidate who is also an elected official … you use the office to make coverage,” said Mike Trujillo, a longtime Democratic strategist.

Although Trujillo acknowledged that the public’s intense interest in the Menendez brothers would draw attention to Gascón, he cast doubt that this interest could affect the outcome of the DA race.

“This is a high-profile case. I don’t know that Angelenos are on the side of the Menendez brothers,” Trujillo said.

The Menendez brothers made national headlines for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. They were 21 and 18 years old at the time. Their lawyers claimed that they had been sexually abused by their father and acted out of fear that their parents would kill them to prevent them from revealing their father’s behavior.

The brothers, now 56 and 53, are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Some relatives of the Menendez brothers spoke out in anger at Thursday’s news conference. One of the brothers’ cousins ​​thanked Gascón for “putting justice before politics” and said his decision was “recognition of the abuse my cousins ​​suffered.”

But at least one member of the Menendez family disagreed with the prosecutor

The lawyer for Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen, who has opposed charging his nephews, harshly criticized Gascón, claiming that his decision to re-examine the case at this time was politically motivated.

“His desperation is clearly evident as he is 30 points behind Gascón in the polls,” Andersen’s attorney, Kathy Cady, said in a statement Thursday.

“ Less than two weeks until the upcoming electionGascón is apparently willing to manipulate the facts for the sake of a temporary chance to save his political career. But justice should never be sacrificed for political gain,” Cady said. “Their decisions must be based on fact and law, not as a last resort to influence voters. “Gascón’s failure to uphold his ethical responsibilities is a disgrace, and the victims of this horrific crime, including Mr. Andersen, deserve far better than being pawns in a politician’s game.”

Gascón had previously said that he chose to reexamine the case due to new evidence that had recently emerged; The letter, which Erik Menendez wrote to a cousin years ago, is a letter that his lawyers say confirms allegations that their father sexually abused him and allegations from a former Latino. Recently, prominent pop group Menudo said that she was raped by Jose Menendez when she was a teenager in the 1980s.

Public interest in the case increased again after two documentaries about the Menendez brothers were released this year.

Gascón said his office was “inundated” with requests for information but did not have the resources to handle the flood. That’s why he decided to act now, even though it was scheduled to be heard in late November, he said.

Bill Przylucki is director emeritus of Ground Game LA, an organization that works to elect progressive leaders and supported Gascón’s re-election. He said it was “okay” for his organization that some questioned the timing of Gascón’s angry decision.

Ground Game said Los Angeles hasn’t taken a position on whether the Menendez brothers should be offended. Przylucki said he spoke for himself when he said: “I have no particular reason to believe or disbelieve that the election had any impact on his thinking or the timing of his decision in the Menendez case. And frankly, I’m not that interested in it.””

“When is the wrong time to re-examine a case that should potentially be re-examined?” he asked.

Michele Hanisee, president of the Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys Association (the union representing nearly 900 deputy district attorneys in Los Angeles), had a different approach. The union supported Hochman in the upcoming elections.

Inside An article on the union’s websiteHanisee criticized the prosecutor’s decision, saying: “Gascón’s actions make it clear that he is more interested in using his office for free media attention than true justice. “His self-serving agenda neglected the victims and their families while he chased the next headline.”

Gascón’s campaign declined to comment for this article.