A juror who served during Erik And Lyle Menendez The original murder trial influenced the Los Angeles district attorney’s decision to seek resentencing for the brothers.

George Gascon announced the recommendation to reduce their sentences on Thursday, October 24, following renewed interest in the case.

Speaking to Australia’s “Kyle & Jackie O Show” the same day after the announcement: Hazel Thorntonwho was Juror #9 for the Menendez brothers’ first murder trial, said she supported the criminal case.

“I think it’s a wonderful step in the right direction and it’s going to last a long time,” Thornton told the radio show, but said she did not support a new trial. “I think a new trial would be terrible. I think it’s right to resent them.”

She continued: “Of course we still have to wait and see what the judge will do, and there is no telling what the judge will do. But I think the prosecutor recommending recidivism is great.”

The Menéndez brothers’ case was once again thrust into the spotlight following the release of Netflix’s limited series Monsters and documentary The Menéndez brothers. Erik, now 53, and Lyle, now 56, were convicted of murdering their parents. Jose And Potat their home in Beverly Hills, California, in 1989, when the brothers were 18 and 21, respectively. They were ultimately sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without parole.

During Thursday’s press conference, Gascón said a new hearing had been held amid new evidence that José abused his sons.

In her interview with the radio show, Thornton also shared her thoughts on the brothers, revealing that she had occasionally spoken to them over the phone.

“People ask me; Would I mind if they moved next door to me? And I say: sure, why not? Society is not in danger if they are released,” Thorton said.

‘You’ll probably find this hard to believe, but they are very polite. They are very nice. They are very smart. They have a sense of humor. And one of the reasons Gascón has recommended resentencing is because they have led an exemplary life in prison.”

She continued, “Despite the fact that they never had the hope of getting out themselves, they helped rehabilitate fellow prisoners so they could get out. And they’ve done all kinds of (other) things. They educated themselves. They participated in and created prison reform projects, and they essentially grew up and matured in prison.”

Thorton added that she has only seen snippets of the Netflix series and refuses to watch it in its entirety due to concerns about its accuracy.

“I don’t think it was accurate and actually I didn’t see it. I boycotted it,” she said. “I’ve seen people send me clips. I’ve seen a lot of scenes that don’t represent Lyle and Erik as I know them. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of truth in the series. It just means I don’t have nine hours to spend on fiction.’