Erik & Lyle Menendez’s Family Slams DA Nathan Hochman in Press Conference

The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez held a rally and press conference Thursday outside District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s office in downtown Los Angeles.

The family has been fighting for the brothers’ resentencing for months.

The Menendez brothers' cousin, Anamaria Baralt, was the first to take the podium, and she had a clear message: “We are not going anywhere.”

She emphasized, “We will not stop fighting. We will not stop fighting for Erik and Lyle, for justice, and for the truth.”

“We are gathered here today because truth matters, because survivors of abuse deserve to be heard, because accountability should not be weaponized to deny people the second chance they’ve worked so hard for,” Anamaria told supporters.

Baralt called Hochman out, saying, “We will not let him erase their abuse, we will not let him ignore the transformation, and we will not let him silence this family.”

Anamaria slammed Hochman for repeating the “same arguments in 1996” that convicted the brothers of murdering their parents. She described them as, “Arguments that ignored who Erik and Lyle really were, arguments that erased their abuse, arguments that failed them then and continue to fail them now.”

She went on, “He says they need to take responsibility. Well, they have. He says they need to acknowledge their past mistakes. Well, they have… What he really means is that he needs them to admit something that fits his narrative, to erase their own truth, to undo the decades of advocacy, healing, and change that they have worked for.”

According to Anamaria, “They’ve done the work to understand their bad decisions that harmed my family and the community at large.”

Tamara Goodell, another cousin, also spoke up against Hochman, saying, “Today is about fairness and justice, and about not letting personal bias and politics get in the way… of what is right.  District Attorney Hochman doesn’t seem to want to listen or engage with us.”

Goodell praised the brothers for their model behavior behind bars, saying, “They have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of incarcerated people… Erik and Lyle have spent three decades avoiding the pitfalls that suck people into the  worst aspect of the criminal justice system."

Michael Mendoza, director of the reform group Latino Justice showed his support for Erik and Lyle, telling those outside, “We believe that people should be held accountable, but in humane ways that provide hope… True public safety will come from redemption based on second chances.”

The press conference comes a week after Hochman announced that he would withdraw the brothers’ request for resentencing.

“Extra” spoke with Hochman, who insisted that the brothers need to “unequivocally and sincerely admit for the first time in 30 years that they have been lying this entire time,” and then the “court should consider those new insights.”

Following the announcement, California governor Gavin Newsom gave an update on the case on his podcast "This Is Gavin Newsom.”

Newsom shared, “On June 13, both Lyle and Erik Menendez independently will have their final hearing.”

Newsom recently requested the parole board conduct “a risk assessment investigation” to determine if the brothers pose a public safety threat if they were released.

Referencing the investigation, Newsom said, “A report then will be submitted to me on the 13th of June for consideration. We will submit that report to the judge for the resentencing, and that will weigh into our independent analysis of whether or not to move forward with the clemency application to support a commutation of this case.”