“The fate of the Menendez brothers becomes an issue in the DA race”

The challenger in the race for Los Angeles County district attorney has accused incumbent George Gascón of using the Menendez brothers’ case to distract from his misconduct in office.

At a debate Tuesday night, Nathan Hochman accused Gascón of holding a news conference last week to announce that he was considering whether the brothers should be released from prison.

“The timing is incredibly suspicious,” Hochman said.

The Ryan Murphy series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” debuted on Netflix last month, sparking interest in the brothers, who are serving life sentences for killing their parents in 1989.

The brothers asked the court for resentencing last year after new evidence emerged that supported the defense’s claim that the father, Jose Menendez, was a sexual abuser. The DA’s office has not yet responded to that petition, but Gascón said last week that he was taking it seriously.

“We have a moral and ethical obligation to review what is presented to us,” he said, saying it was possible that “a jury may have reached a different conclusion if this evidence had been presented.”

At the debate, Gascón said that his office was still reviewing the matter and that he had decided to hold a press conference because his office had been inundated with media inquiries following the release of “Monsters.”

“There are different opinions in my office,” he said in response to a question from KNX reporter Emily Valdez. “There are people who believe the Menendez brothers should remain in prison. We think it’s worth a second look. We’ll take a second look.”

Hochman argued that Gascón used the case to divert attention from an article about another murder case in which a teenage girl was granted leniency and was later re-charged after her release.

He also argued that Gascón mishandled the Menendez case and did not speak to prosecutors involved in the petition.

Hochman didn’t say how he would handle the Menendez petition, but said he would “take a hard look at the facts” and talk to experts before reaching a conclusion.

“You certainly don’t want me to hold a press conference to tell you I’m just thinking about it,” he said.

The election is Nov. 5 and Hochman is leading by a wide margin in polls from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies.

The next hearing in Menendez’s case will be November 29.

The Netflix series was heavily criticized by the Menendez family, who called it “phobic,” “disgusting,” and “full of falsehoods.” The family also argued that the series ignored recent evidence that they say exonerates the brothers.

Murphy, the show’s co-creator, has defended the portrayal, saying he took a “Rashomon” approach to the case. He told diversity that the show was “the best thing that happened to the Menendez brothers in 30 years.”

“Millions of people around the world are talking about it now,” Murphy said.

The new evidence came to light through the Peacock documentary “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” released last year. Netflix released another documentary, “The Menendez Brothers,” on Monday.