Menendez brothers demand Los Angeles DA recuse himself or be disqualified in resentencing case
Attorney Mark Geragos and his cocounsels filed paperwork on Friday announcing a motion to disqualify Hochman's office, citing a "conflict of interest." The motion is before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic, who is presiding over the matter.
The brothers, who are currently serving life without parole for killing their parents in 1989, are fighting for reduced sentences.
Timeline Of The Menendez Brothers' Murder Case
The next scheduled hearing date in the case is May 9.
"This motion is brought under the constitutions of the United States and the State of California as well as California Penal Code 1424, and is made on the grounds that, absent recusal, a conflict of interest would render it likely that the defendants will receive neither a fair hearing nor fair treatment through all related proceedings," according to the document announcing the motion to disqualify.
Read On The Fox News App
Read the Menendez brothers' filing:
If the motion is not granted, Geragos will request an evidentiary hearing to show the court that the conflict of interest exists and plans to call Hochman and several others to testify.
Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X
The motion centers around an attorney recently hired by Hochman to work in the district attorney's office.
Last October, former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced that he was considering a request for resentencing of the Menendez brothers.
Shortly thereafter, more than 20 Menendez family members who support the resentencing met with deputy district attorneys Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford.
The single family member who objected and did not attend the meeting, Milton Andersen, filed an amicus brief through his attorney, Kathleen Cady, opposing the resentencing.
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub
After Hochman defeated Gascon on Nov. 5 of last year, Hochman began restaffing his office with those who opposed the Menendez brothers' resentencing, according to the document filed by the brothers' attorneys.
Geragos said that Hochman intentionally reassigned Theberge and Lunsford, viewed as Menendez sympathizers, to another office. He also said that Hochman hired Cady, who represented the sole Menendez family member against the resentencing, to head the district attorney's Office of Victims' Services, despite recognizing a conflict of interest Cady had in the case.
SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter
The document said that Cady's conflict of interest extends outside the courtroom, too.
She is, according to Geragos, a board member of a group called Justice For Murdered Children, and on April 13, the group held a rally headlined by Hochman. During that rally, the group condemned the Menendez brothers' resentencing.
The document also claimed that Cady has ignored the Menendez family members in her official capacity in the Victims' Services office, and that, in violation of victims' services law, she did not warn them of gruesome imagery from the murder scene that would be displayed during an April 11 hearing in the resentencing proceedings.
Menendez Brothers' Aunt Hospitalized After Da Shares Graphic Photos In Court: 'There Was No Warning'
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochman's office.
Erik and Lyle Menendez killed their mother, Mary "Kitty" Menendez, and their father, Jose Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They argued that years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father led to the slayings.
In 1994, their first trial ended in a mistrial. They were convicted after a second trial in 1996. They have spent 35 years behind bars.Original article source: Menendez brothers demand Los Angeles DA recuse himself or be disqualified in resentencing case
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg's final days marred by bitter fued between lesbian lover and kids
Billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg's children were locked in a bitter legal feud with their mom's longtime girlfriend just weeks before she died — with the kids alleging the 86-year-old heiress was abused, drugged and locked away in a vegetative state towards the end. Three of Annenberg's kids allege their mother's longtime partner, Kris Levine, and her sister, Vikki Levine, isolated and overmedicated the philanthropist before she succumbed to her lung cancer battle on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported. In the lead up to her death, the children — Gregory, Lauren and Charles — had accused Vikki, who was their mom's personal assistant and had authority over her medical decisions, of hastening Annenberg's decline by exerting control over her in 'likely fatal' ways, court documents state. The kids, too, were distressed about plans to send Annenberg's remains for composting within hours of her looming death, according to the various filings. The Levine sisters, for their part, have blasted the allegations as 'vicious and false.' 3 Billionaire philanthropist Wallis Annenberg's children were locked in a bitter legal feud with their mom's longtime girlfriend just weeks before she died. Annenberg Foundation They claim no one was over-medicating or mistreating Annenberg and that the dispute, which isn't tied to her vast fortune, stems from her children not being in charge of her care. The bitter family feud escalated after Annenberg, the heiress to her father Walter Annenberg's publishing empire, was first diagnosed with cancer in late 2023. Despite going into remission, the disease returned last fall, and she opted not to undergo treatment again, court records show. In May, she started hospice care and was given medication to help with the pain and anxiety brought on by her decreased lung function, the filings state. A month later, Annenberg's children claim Vikki hired a new team of nurses to allegedly start administering 'excessive amounts of powerful narcotics and opioids, such as Fentanyl, Morphine, Ativan and other similar drugs.' They alleged the drugs kept their mom 'in a vegetative state' and that when she was coherent, she was 'adamant that this is not what she wants and that she believes, in her own words, that Vikki is 'kidnapping her.'' The children later filed a petition with Los Angeles County Superior Court in early July in a bid to have Vikki removed as Annenberg's healthcare agent authority. 3 Annenberg's kids allege their mother's longtime partner, Kris Levine, and her sister, Vikki Levine, isolated and overmedicated the philanthropist before she succumbed to her lung cancer battle. Getty Images for Women's Cancer Research Fund 'We have been informed that my mother may only have weeks to live, and I do not want those weeks to be spent in a medically-induced coma due to Vikki's actions, which are contrary to medical advice and harmful to her well-being,' her daughter, Lauren, wrote in one declaration. They also sought to have a judge impose a three-day limit to ensure Annenberg's remains couldn't be quickly removed from her house and sent away before they could say a proper goodbye. Kris, who had been dating the heiress since 2009 and lived with her, adamantly denied the claims — and insisted she allowed the siblings unrestricted access to their ailing mom. 'No one is attempting to hurt Wallis — we love her. No one is keeping her children from her. Despite the outrageous behavior they exhibit in my home at such a sensitive time, they are still welcome,' Kris said in a declaration. She argued that her partner's children were trying to interfere in their mother's care. 'They crowd around Wallis' bed while the nurses are caring for her, tell Wallis that she doesn't need the medication, refuse to get out of their way, ask numerous questions about the medication and procedures being employed, and generally make the situation untenable for a care-provider to work,' she wrote, according to court docs. Still, on July 22, a judge determined there was 'good cause' to suspend Vikki as Annenberg's healthcare agent. A professional fiduciary was temporarily appointed to oversee her care. Annenberg, however, died a week later. 3 Annenberg supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles Michael Kovac The Post reached out to Kris' attorney but didn't hear back immediately. Lawyers for Annenberg's children declined to comment. In the wake of her death, the family issued a statement saying, 'Wallis transitioned peacefully and comfortably this morning to her new adventure.' 'Cancer may have beaten her body but it never got her spirit. We will hold her and her wisdom in our hearts forever.' Annenberg, who supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles, had served as chief executive of the Annenberg Foundation for 16 years. The nonprofit organization has donated about $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern California. Her father started the foundation after selling his publishing empire, including TV Guide and a slew of other publications, to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in 1989. Walter Annenberg died in 2002. With Post wires
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Yahoo
Erik Menendez needed surgery following complications from kidney stones, daughter says
Erik Menendez needed surgery after complications from kidney stones, requiring his hospitalization just weeks before he's scheduled to appear for a parole hearing alongside his brother in the 1989 murders of their parents. His daughter, Talia, posted to social media Wednesday night that he had a second surgery "due to complications with both kidneys having multiple large kidney stones." She wrote in the Instagram story that he needs a third surgery. "Because Erik is in prison, there are often complications and delays with medical care, so this continues to be a very stressful time for us as you all can imagine," she wrote. "He is currently in pain and feeling nauseous, but is recovering." Attorney Mark Geragos said on Tuesday that Menendez had been diagnosed with a "serious medical condition" but did not provide additional details. Erik Menendez, 54, and his older brother, Lyle Menendez, 57, were originally sentenced to life in prison for the murder of their parents. But the men were resentenced to 50 years to life after a judge determined they did not pose an 'unreasonable risk' if they were released. This made the Menendez brothers immediately eligible for parole. Supporters have pushed for the men to be released, saying the boys experienced abuse at the hands of Kitty and José Menendez. The brothers contended the shotgun killings were done in self-defense, with Lyle saying he confronted their father over the abuse of his younger brother. Prosecutors accused the brothers of being motivated by financial gain and said the murders were committed in cold blood. Erik Menendez expressed remorse during a May 13 resentencing hearing, where he described his crimes as 'cruel and vicious' and said he was 'directly responsible for it all.' "My actions were criminal, selfish, cruel and cowardly," he said. His older brother similarly took accountability for his past and said at the hearing that he was "deeply ashamed." Their parole suitability hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20 and 21. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Florida teens' dangerous social media challenge has police warning parents, homeowners
Police in Florida issued a warning after a group of minors took part in the "door kick challenge," a social media trend aimed at frightening homeowners. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that five juvenile suspects were walking around a neighborhood in Riverview, Florida, when two of them approached a house. Officials said one of the individuals, who was wearing a ski mask, kicked the front door and fired an airsoft gun. The minors then fled the area. Deputies said the "door kick challenge" could turn into a dangerous situation and encouraged parents to talk to their children. Deadly Social Media Trend Threatens Kids, Homeowners Defending Themselves: 'Children Are Going To Get Killed' "The door kick challenge is a prank circulating on social media. #teamHCSO is asking parents to speak to their children about this dangerous trend, which could end in tragedy," the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. Read On The Fox News App Video released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows an individual approaching the front door before kicking it several times, firing an airsoft gun and then fleeing the area. Texas Bill Pushes Strictest Social Media Ban For Minors In The Nation Titania Jordan, CMO and chief parent officer at Bark Technologies, a parental control app, previously told Fox News Digital that teens are doing this social media trend to get attention. "This sort of content is going to get likes. It's going to get comments. It is going to get shares. It's going to encourage children to try to emulate it because it's clout — they gain clout from their peers because of this," Jordan said. "Any challenge like this, children aren't thinking, 'Is this the right thing to do? Is this safe?' They're thinking, 'I want validation,' and children are going to get killed. I mean, just one person who is armed who gets their door kicked in by a kid, and you're gonna have another national headline that is very sad." Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this article source: Florida teens' dangerous social media challenge has police warning parents, homeowners Solve the daily Crossword
