CNN
—

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will delay his decision on clemency for Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted in 1989 of murdering their parents, until the newly elected Los Angeles County district attorney completes his investigation of the case, it said Newsom’s office Monday.

“The Governor respects the district attorney’s role in ensuring justice and recognizes that voters have entrusted District Attorney-elect (Nathan) Hochman to carry out this responsibility,” Newsom’s office said. “The Governor will await the elected district attorney’s review and analysis of the Menendez case before making any clemency decisions.”

Current District Attorney George Gascón, who has expressed strong support for the Menendez brothers’ request for clemency and submitted letters to the governor advocating for them, in October asked a judge to grant the siblings, who are serving life without parole, serving parole, to indict.

Gascón was recently defeated in his re-election bid by Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who campaigned for a tougher stance on crime. With Hochman set to take power in December, questions have been raised about the future of the grudge and the clemency process.

Hochman stated that he is committed to conducting a thorough investigation of the Menendez case, including confidential prison records, trial transcripts and extensive documentary evidence, as well as consultation with prosecutors, attorneys and family members of the victims.

“This is the same kind of rigorous analysis that I have done during my 34-year career in criminal law as a prosecutor and defense counsel, and the same kind of thorough review that I will provide to all cases, regardless of media attention,” he said. CNN.

The brothers, family members and the public deserve a thorough review, Hochman said.

The renewed investigation of the Menendez case comes more than 35 years after Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot to death in their Beverly Hills home. Their sons, then aged 21 and 18, were arrested less than a year later in 1990 and found guilty of first-degree murder in 1996.

During their two highly publicized trials, the brothers did not dispute their parents’ murder but claimed self-defense, citing a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse by their father. The first trial, known as one of the first televised cases, ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. In the subsequent trial, much of the evidence relating to the alleged abuse was deemed inadmissible, resulting in the brothers’ conviction and life sentences.

Attention to the case has increased dramatically following the September release of the Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” Netflix recently launched a documentary about the case, in which the brothers discuss the events that led to the tragic murders.