Erik and Lyle Mendez’s re-institution hearings can continue, says the judge
Erik and Lyle Mendez’s re-institution hearings can continue despite the opposition of the district prosecutor of the county of Los Angeles, a judge ruled on Friday.
The brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of conditional freedom at the age of 18 and 21 after being sentenced for killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Mendez, in their Beverly Hills home.
The former Los Angeles District Prosecutor George Gascón He asked for a judge last year Change the sentence of brothers from life without the possibility of conditional freedom to 50 years of life. This would have made them immediately admissible to conditional freedom because they committed crime when they were under 26 years old.
But Gascón’s successor revealed the course. Nathan Hochman presented a motion last month to withdraw the request for re-enterance.
The Hochman office said that he could not support the re-institution of the brothers because they had not admitted that they were told during their trial on why they had killed their parents and not “recognize, recognize and fully accept complete responsibility” for their crime.
The judge of the Los Angeles County Court of Los Angeles Michael Jesic said that ministries can support this topic during the retention hearing.
“Everything you discussed today is an absolutely right game for the retention hearing next Thursday,” he said.
No declaration from the brothers
The brothers appeared in court for zoom but did not make public statements.
“They waited a long time to get some justice, today it is probably the older day since they were imprisoned,” said the brothers’ lawyer Mark Geragos.
While the defense claimed to have acted for self -defense after years of sexual abuse on the part of the father, public ministries said that the brothers killed their parents for a multimillionary legacy.
District Deputy Prosecutor Habib Balian said that the key issue with the re-institution petition of Gascón was that he did not completely deal with rehabilitation and lost key elements of the original crime committed.
“What does it mean? Learn from your mistakes and really understand that you were wrong,” said Balian.
He presented evidence and video clips of the testimony of the brothers from the first trial to demonstrate cases in which “they hooked themselves in their deception bunker, lies and deception”.
He said the brothers killed their parents by greater when they learned that they would be brought out of the will, citing the notes of the psychiatrist who said he showed “this was not self -defense”.
Geragos defined the presentation a “show of dogs and pony” and said it was nothing but political coverage “because of Hochman’s defeat in the district prosecutor’s race.
“They authorized the denial of sexual abuse,” said Geragos of the presentation of the accusation.
The critical defense is the use of the photo
Geragos claimed that the judge had full authority to proceed with the retention pursuant to a California law approved in 2023 which allows a court to remember a sentence and start the resale at any time.
Geragos also objected to Balian, including a photo of the deceased parents and bloody Mendez in his presentation, which said “re-traumatized” family members and victims.
The cousin of the Anamaria Baralt brothers and Aunt Terry Baralt were among the family members who were in the classroom. The relationship of the family with Hochman has become united.
Most of the extended family of the brothers support their resale. Tamara Goodall, cousin, filed a complaint with the state asking that Hochman was removed from the case, citing his alleged prejudice against the brothers and claiming to violate a law designed to protect the rights of the victims.
Hochman had a “hostile, contemptuous and condescending tone” in meetings with his family and created an “intimidating atmosphere and bullying”, wrote Goodall.
In their response to the motion of the District Prosecutor to withdraw the request for re-institution, the lawyers for the Mensendez brothers wondered if Hochman had legitimate reasons to do it or that was influenced by “a change of twenty politicians”.
Without re-institution, the brothers still would have two other paths towards freedom. They presented a reason for clemency to the governor of California Gavin Newsom, who ordered the Conditional Freedom Council to investigate whether the brothers would have represented a risk for the public if they were released. The Conditional Freedom Council is scheduled for its final hearings on June 13th.
The brothers also presented a petition for Habeas Corpus in May 2023 asking the Court to grant them a new trial in light of new tests presented. The Hochman office has also presented a motion that opposes that petition.
