{"id":2359246,"date":"2024-10-24T19:35:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T23:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/critics-of-george-gascon-question-motives-behind-request-for-menendez-brothers-resentencing-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-24T19:37:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T23:37:00","slug":"critics-of-george-gascon-question-motives-behind-request-for-menendez-brothers-resentencing-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/critics-of-george-gascon-question-motives-behind-request-for-menendez-brothers-resentencing-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Critics of George Gasc\u00f3n question motives behind request for Menendez brothers\u2019 resentencing &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcritics-of-george-gascon-question-motives-behind-request-for-menendez-brothers-resentencing-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2359246&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Los Angeles County District \u2064Attorney George\u2062 Gasc\u00f3n announced he would request the resentencing of brothers Lyle \u200band Erik Menendez, who were convicted of murdering their parents\u200b in 1989.\u200c This move has\u2064 drawn criticism, with some suggesting \u200cit serves as a political strategy to bolster Gasc\u00f3n&#8217;s struggling \u200cre-election campaign. While \u200cthe brothers have maintained \u200dthat they acted \u200bout\u200c of fear from alleged abuse by their father, their case\u200c has garnered renewed interest due to a recent Netflix dramatization and social media\u2062 discussions. Currently serving life sentences without \u2063parole,\u200d the brothers&#8217; fate now rests with a judge,\u2064 despite Gasc\u00f3n&#8217;s recommendation \u200breflecting a divided opinion within \u200chis office regarding their past claims \u200bof abuse. The timing of the announcement, just ahead of the upcoming election, has led \u2063some to question\u2064 Gasc\u00f3n&#8217;s \u200cmotives, particularly amidst his low standings in voter polls.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Critics of George Gasc&oacute;n question motives behind request for Menendez brothers&rsquo; resentencing<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1217710\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/los-angeles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Los Angeles\">Los Angeles<\/a> County District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-gascon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Los Angeles\">George Gasc&oacute;n <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-makes-move-to-honor-rush-limbaugh-democrats-spaz-out\/\" title=\"DeSantis Makes Move To Honor Rush Limbaugh, Democrats Spaz Out\">announced&#038;nbsp<\/a>;Thursday that he will request the resentencing of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of murdering their parents in the late 1980s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The announcement, which&nbsp;Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s critics have claimed is a political maneuver to revive his reelection bid,&nbsp;could lead to the Menendez brothers&rsquo; release from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/prison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"prison\">prison<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, right, flanked by Menendez family members, speaks during a news conference at the Hall of Justice, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Eric Thayer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lyle Menendez, who was 21 at the time of the grisly killings, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally killing their father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989 but said they did so because they were sexually abused by their father and feared him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Menendez brothers had separate juries in their first trial, which was televised. A judge declared a mistrial after both juries failed to reach a unanimous verdict. They were tried again, without the television cameras. In 1996, both were found guilty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Reignited interest in their case skyrocketed following the recent&nbsp;release of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-4-riveting-springtime-tv-series-prove-excellent-storytelling-isnt-dead-however\/\" title=\"These 4 Riveting Springtime TV Series Prove Excellent Storytelling Isn\u2019t Dead However\">true-crime drama<\/a> on Netflix and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">subsequent social media investigations<\/a> looking into the murders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The brothers are&nbsp;currently serving life without parole in a prison near San Diego.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Even though&nbsp;Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s recommendation for resentencing carries some weight, it will eventually&nbsp;be up to a judge to decide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit with defense attorney Leslie Abramson, right, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court during a hearing, Nov. 26, 1990. (AP Photo\/Nick Ut, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gasc&oacute;n said the&nbsp;brothers, who are now in their&nbsp;50s, had been on &ldquo;a journey of redemption and rehabilitation&rdquo; and had &ldquo;paid their debt to society.&rdquo; He also told a room filled with 300 journalists from around the world that&nbsp;his office had been divided on whether to support resentencing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There were people in the office who strongly believe the Menendez brothers should stay in prison for the rest of their life, and do not believe they&rsquo;ve been molested,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&ldquo;There are people in the office who believe they should be released immediately and were, in fact, molested.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While he said there was &ldquo;no excuse for murder&rdquo; and that he would &ldquo;never imply that what we&rsquo;re doing here is to excuse a behavior,&rdquo;&nbsp;Gasc&oacute;n&nbsp;said sometimes abused people could become &ldquo;desperate.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/van-orden-accuses-rnc-protester-of-assault-in-political-violence-incident-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Van Orden accuses RNC protester of assault in political violence incident - Washington Examiner\">district attorney&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s Resentencing Unit handled the recommendation for the Menedez case. It was launched in April 2021 with the aim of addressing over-incarceration.<\/p>\n<p>The team, along with Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s Murder Resentencing Unit, has reviewed or is actively reviewing 705 cases, resulting in 332 resentencings, his office said.<\/p>\n<p>The request for resentencing comes at a moment in Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s career where he is struggling to win reelection.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gasc&oacute;n, a Democrat, has failed to gain traction with voters. He is pitted against a conservative challenger, Nathan Hochman, who is running as an independent in Los Angeles.&nbsp;Minutes after the resentencing announcement, Hochman hammered Gasc&oacute;n on his timing and motive.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;D.A. George Gascon received the Menendez habeas corpus petition in May 2023 and request for resentencing in February 2024,&rdquo; Hochman posted on X. &ldquo;Yet, he has waited until days before the November 5 election, 30 points down in the polls with articles coming about how his failed policies have led to additional murders of innocent people, to release his recommendation for resentencing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;By releasing it now, Gascon has cast a cloud over the fairness and impartiality of his decision, allowing Angelenos to question whether the decision was correct and just or just another desperate political move by a D.A. running a losing campaign scrambling to grab headlines through a made-for-TV decision,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">D.A. George Gascon received the Menendez habeas corpus petition in May 2023 and request for resentencing in February 2024.<br \/>Yet, he has waited until days before the November 5 election, 30 points down in the polls with articles coming about how his failed policies have led to&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OPoM2wEfDL\">pic.twitter.com\/OPoM2wEfDL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nathan Hochman (@NathanHochmanDA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NathanHochmanDA\/status\/1849561369567535365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Laurie Levenson, a professor of criminal law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who analyzed the Menendez case for media outlets in the 1990s, also questioned Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s decision. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/24\/us\/menendez-brothers-prison-sentence.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> the <em>New York Times <\/em>that &ldquo;the most interesting question for Gasc&oacute;n&rdquo; is &ldquo;why this case was given priority at this time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" \"> <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Legal expert Lou Shapiro said Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s interest in the Menendez case is undoubtedly linked to his reelection campaign.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is this substantial base out there that does believe that prison systems are overcrowded, that the system over penalizes people, so I think he&rsquo;s trying to tap into that market,&rdquo; Shapiro <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/la-da-announce-decision-potential-resentencing-menendez-brothers\/story?id=114811599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> ABC7 Eyewitness News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1217710\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1217710\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Critics question Gasc\u00f3n&#8217;s motives for seeking Menendez brothers&#8217; resentencing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2359248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/gascon1.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[43674,43675,43676],"class_list":["post-2359246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-george-gascon","tag-menendez-brothers","tag-resentencing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/gascon1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2359246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2359248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2359246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2359246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2359246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}