Los Angeles DA verdict: Decision on Menendez Brothers' request to reduce sentence is yet to be decided

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he had not yet made a decision on reducing the sentences of Ark and Lyle Menendez. The announcement came after he held a lengthy meeting with his relatives, who are in favour of his release.

Nathan Hochman, who was elected district attorney in November, said he was still reviewing court and prison records, which are needed before the january 30 and 31 resensiting hearings.

Menendez's lawyers had requested that his sentence be reduced to 50 years, which would make him eligible for parole immediately.

Hochman made the announcement when he met with his relatives, who expressed their support for his release. Hochman did not say what relatives talked to him about, but described the meeting as "useful."

The families of Eric and Lyle Menendez said they were grateful for the meeting and hoped that given their father's abuse and trauma, their sentence would be converted from murder to a low-intensity murder sentence (main slaughter) rather than murder.

Eric and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murder of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. The brothers said they had killed their parents after being severely sexually assaulted by their father, but prosecutors dismissed the allegations as false and said the murders were carried out for financial gain.

Menendez's case received a lot of media coverage and several dramas and documentaries have been made on his murder, including the most recent Netflix series and film.

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gaskon had supported reducing his sentence, but after Gaskon stepped down in November, Hochman said he would review all facts and laws in the case. 

A judge will ultimately decide whether the brothers' sentence should be commuted.

Hochman's office has also begun considering a petition the brothers filed against their conviction, with their lawyers presenting new evidence that corroborates their alleged abuse.

The Justins for Eric and Lyle Coalition said it considered the meeting an opportunity for open and fair negotiations.

Regardless of the amount of abuse they faced as a child and the injustice of the current sentence, Eric and Lyle Menendez have recognized their responsibility over the past 35 years and have made a positive contribution through guidance and rehabilitation in the community.