California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) directed the state’s parole board to evaluate the risk of possibly granting clemency to Erik and Lyle Menendez.
Newsom’s announcement came on a teaser trailer Wednesday for his new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom.”
“So, we’re getting a lot of questions, a lot of calls about something that’s getting a lot of attention unsurprisingly and that’s what’s going on with the Menendez brothers,” he said.
Newsom said he directed parole board to conduct a risk assessment investigation into the Menendez brothers’ application for resentencing, which is an avenue to change their sentences.
Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, were sentenced in 1996 for the shotgun killings of their parents, Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez.
They have been serving two life sentences without parole but have sought to change that.
Last November, Newsom said he would postpone his decision on the brothers’ case until after the new Los Angeles District Attorney can review the case details.
“The risk assessment will be conducted as they typically are conducted by experts in public safety as well as forensic psychologists,” Newsom said on the podcast. “We’re going to make the findings, by the way, available to the judges presiding over the resentencing motion.”
Newsom admitted that there was no guaranteed outcome for the brothers, but he hopes the process will provide transparency around their situation.
