New Los Angeles DA asks ‘what’s the point’ of watching Menendez brothers plead guilty

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has a message for fans of Erik and Lyle Menendez: don’t rush to judgment as the December 11 hearing approaches.

Hochman, 60, told The Daily Beast that he thinks many fans of the Menendez brothers’ true crime series don’t fully understand the case.

The Mendez brothers, now 53 and 56 years old, are serving time in the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, after being convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, with a gun in 1989.

Hochman says the sudden interest in the Menendez brothers may be due to a Netflix series and documentary about their crimes. To keep it focused, the incoming DA said he didn’t watch it either.

THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS ASK THE CALIFORNIA GOV. DISCOVERY MATTERS

“I didn’t want to see them,” he said. “What’s the use? I’d like to read a book.”

Hochman admitted he only remembers bits and pieces of the case from 30 years ago, but that’s why he plans to dig up the facts carefully. The Menendez case is “very important,” Hochman told The Daily Beast.

Hochman added, “Anytime a case gets this level of attention, it’s even more important to fix it.”

Hochman, a Republican, won the seat earlier this month, garnering 61.46% of the vote, while Democratic incumbent George Gascón had 38.54%, according to data released by the Los Angeles County registrar’s office. He says he won’t be swayed by celebrity endorsements, including celebrity Kim Kardashian and actor Cooper Koch, who played Erik Menendez on the Netflix series.

Before he left office, Gascón asked a judge to reduce the brothers’ charges to murder, a move some said was to help his re-election campaign.

THE MAIN PLAYERS IN THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS WHO CAN RELEASE THE KILLERS THANKFULLY.

Erik Menendez, left, and his brother Lyle, listen during a pretrial hearing, Dec. 29, 1992, in Los Angeles, after the two pleaded not guilty to the August 1989 shooting deaths of their wealthy parents, Jose and Mary Louise Menendez of Beverly. Hills, Calif. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)

Some big supporters were hoping the brothers could be released soon after Thanksgiving after filing a habeas corpus petition in May of last year with a trial scheduled for November 26, but their hearing has been scheduled for December 11. Hochman is expected to ask for an extension from the judge.

The Menendez family has requested that the brothers be released immediately, asking to bypass the parole process. But even if the judge approves the commutation, parole could take up to a year. In addition, Gov. Gavin Newsom can block their release.

Another possibility is sympathy from Newsom. In this case, he said, “The important thing is the facts. The important thing is justice and impartiality. Not treating them badly because they are celebrities, not treating them better.”

The brothers admitted that they killed their parents, but said it was self-defense after years of being sexually abused by their father. Prosecutors argued that this was not true, saying the brothers had been listening to the money.

Erik Menendez listens as his attorney Leslie Abramson speaks, while his brother Lyle sits in a Los Angeles courtroom, March 9, 1994. (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)

Prosecutors at the time pointed to spending $700,000 in the weeks after the murder, including Porsche cars and Rolex watches. The judge agreed, and sentenced them to life in prison without parole. Although they were initially in separate prisons, the brothers were reunited in San Diego in 2018.

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Hochman will officially take over as Los Angeles County DA on December 2.

He did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.