DA Nathan Hochman Retaliated Against LA Prosecutors Who Drafted Menendez Brothers Resentencing Petition, New Filing Claims

L.A. prosecutors Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford said on Monday that they were wrongfully demoted by new District Attorney Nathan Hochman. The lawyers said the move came in retaliation of their support to resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez last fall.

Theberge and Lunsford are seeking $5.25 million each in damages, according to the filings, which have been reviewed by TheWrap. The prosecutors claim their careers and reputations have been affected by their department transfers at the end of last year.

Both prosecutors publicly supported George Gascón’s announcement that he would ask the court to resentence the Menendez brothers. Hochman then defeated Gascón in the November election. After Hochman took office in December, Theberge was transferred to the office of the Alternate Public Defender, while Lunsford was demoted to calendar duty in Norwalk.

Hochman, who was a former Republican candidate for California attorney general, ran a tough-on-crime campaign and, while reviewing evidence, has not said if he will support the resentencing request. The Menendez brothers are currently serving life without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents. The resentencing hearing was scheduled take place on Jan. 30 and 31 but was postponed following the Los Angeles wildfires. The hearing is now scheduled to take place March 20 and 21. If approved the new sentence would be 50 years to life, and make them immediately eligible for parole. The brothers would still have to appeal to a parole board. For now, their case remains in limbo.

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In a statement obtained by Variety, the Menendez family expressed their support for Theberge and Lunsford.

“The decision to remove these dedicated prosecutors from the case, however, underscored exactly what we feared, that political influences might overshadow justice,” the family said. “D.A. Hochman campaigned on a promise to remove politics from prosecutorial decisions and to carefully weigh the nuances and facts of each case under his review. We continue to hold on to hope that he will honor this commitment as he considers his recommendation for Erik and Lyle’s resentencing.”

Theberge said in her complaint that she was a model employee who “never received a poor performance review” and that her demotion is a direct result of her political affiliation and public support of Gascón. The complaint filed typically precedes a formal lawsuit.

The post DA Nathan Hochman Retaliated Against LA Prosecutors Who Drafted Menendez Brothers Resentencing Petition, New Filing Claims appeared first on TheWrap.