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A California lawmaker blames the attraction connected the Menendez brothers' lawsuit for prompting a measure to resurface that could enactment thousands of killers backmost connected the streets.
"California Democrats conscionable opened the situation gates for implicit 1,600 cold-blooded killers," Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, a Republican, shared successful a connection with Fox News Digital.
"Democrat lawmakers person proven clip and clip again they don’t attraction astir the unfortunate oregon their family. They don’t attraction astir keeping the nationalist safe. They attraction astir defending killers."
Jones added what makes this determination adjacent much absorbing was the timing of it.
GOV. NEWSOM DOING 'POLITICAL CALCULUS' AHEAD OF MENENDEZ BROTHERS RESENTENCING DECISION
Lyle and Erik Menendez arsenic young men with their mugshots overlayed. The brothers are serving beingness sentences for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez successful 1996. (Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
"As soon arsenic the Menendez brothers' concern started trending, each of a abrupt this measure comes up again," Jones said. "And it's truly a precise benignant of cynical effort to get caught up successful that question of societal media, media attention, the property rhythm for gathering somebody's name. ... So, we're opposed to this bill.
"It’s a shameless effort to thrust a question of societal media sympathy with zero respect for the thousands of different brutal killers their measure could unleash."
Jones said, dissimilar immoderate of his Democratic counterparts, Republicans successful California and the Senate are committed to keeping Californians safe.
"And the mode we bash that is by keeping these convulsive felons locked up successful situation wherever they belong," Jones said.
"Dangerous Democrats are playing authorities with nationalist safety."
Jones said the determination to resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were serving beingness successful situation without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, was not the close enactment to take.
"It's beauteous straightforward to me. These radical were convicted of precise heinous murders with a condemnation of beingness without parole. And for america to spell backmost connected that sentencing present and past the victims to beryllium re-victimized, the families of the murdered, to person to continuously relive this is unconscionable to me," Jones explained.
Jones added what doesn't marque consciousness successful each this is Gov. Gavin Newsom's Democratic Party continues to propulsion to support perpetrators alternatively of victims and utilizing the Menendez brothers' lawsuit to get their measure crossed the decorativeness line.
MENENDEZ BROTHERS COULD GET FREEDOM UNDER CALIFORNIA LAW SIGNED BY GAVIN NEWSOM: EXPERT
Erik Menendez, left, and member Lyle perceive during a pre-trial proceeding Dec. 29, 1992, successful Los Angeles aft the 2 pleaded guiltless successful the August 1989 shotgun deaths of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise Menendez of Beverly Hills, Calif. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
"I deliberation the legislators from LA are taking vantage of that quality rhythm and the societal media attraction that is coming from this. They deliberation they're gonna get immoderate Hollywood stars to travel up to Sacramento and attest connected this measure to beforehand it. I don't deliberation that's going to happen," Jones explained.
Jones was speaking astir SB 672, besides known arsenic the Youth Rehabilitation and Opportunity Act, which is simply a California measure that would let individuals sentenced to beingness without parole for crimes committed earlier the property of 26 to petition a parole proceeding aft serving astatine slightest 25 years.
The authorities Senate passed SB 672 Tuesday by a 24-11 vote. The connection present heads to the Assembly.
The bill, introduced by Democratic Sen. Susan Rubio, was amended to exclude criminals convicted of definite offenses the accidental to question parole, including those who killed a instrumentality enforcement serviceman oregon carried retired a wide shooting astatine a school, among different offenses.
"Sacramento’s emotion matter with criminals doesn’t look to beryllium letting up, adjacent aft 70% of Californians made it wide they wanted lawmakers to ace down connected crime. Now, the authorities Senate is trying to fto convicted murderers retired of jailhouse early," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican campaigner for California governor, shared successful a connection aft the bill's transition successful the Senate.
"It's besides astonishing that erstwhile the Menendez brothers recovered a mode to use for parole, the legislators present inactive doubled down and continued to propulsion the measure through," Jones added. "And, again, it goes backmost to Gavin Newsom and the Democrats successful California protecting perpetrators and ignoring victims."
The erstwhile bill, SB 94, would person fixed definite inmates serving beingness without parole a accidental to petition to person sentences reviewed if crimes were committed earlier June 5, 1990, but it stalled successful the legislature and did not determination forward.
Newsom's bureau told Fox News Digital it typically does not remark connected pending legislation.
Rubio's bureau told Fox News Digital she is "disappointed" immoderate lawmakers are sharing mendacious information.
"It is unfortunate that the measure has been grossly misrepresented. I americium disappointed that my friends from the different broadside of the aisle proceed to peddle misinformation when, retired of respect for them, I went implicit successful item what the measure does and does not do. I invited them to springiness maine input, and the invitation is inactive open," Rubio's bureau shared successful a statement.
During Erik and Lyle Menendez's resentencing proceeding past month, some shared affectional testimony, admitting "full responsibility" for their parents' murders aft a bombshell determination by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic to resentence them.
The resentencing proceeding came aft the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition successful May 2023 citing caller grounds of intersexual assault. Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón past filed a question for resentencing successful October 2024. Both filings followed the transition of AB 600, a California instrumentality allowing for resentencing of long-convicted inmates to align with existent law.
"There's each kinds of peculiar circumstances, that's what a batch of these murders are called, peculiar circumstances that, really, these radical don't merit to ever beryllium retired of prison," Jones said.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said "justice should ne'er beryllium swayed by spectacle" aft the judge's decision.
"The determination to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez was a monumental 1 that has important implications for the families involved, the assemblage and the principles of justice," Hochman said successful a quality release. "Our office’s motions to retreat the resentencing question filed by the erstwhile medication ensured that the tribunal was presented with each the facts earlier making specified a consequential decision.
"The lawsuit of the Menendez brothers has agelong been a model for the nationalist to amended recognize the judicial system. This case, similar each cases — particularly those that captivate the nationalist — indispensable beryllium viewed with a captious eye. Our absorption and investigation ensured that the tribunal received a implicit and close grounds of the facts. Justice should ne'er beryllium swayed by spectacle."
The brothers remain successful prison but are present eligible for parole. They person a parole committee proceeding scheduled for August.
FREEDOM FOR THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS MIGHT COME FROM A SURPRISING SOURCE. AND THIS COULD BE NEXT
Erik and Lyle Menendez look a important parole committee proceeding successful August with California Gov. Gavin Newsom arsenic the decision-maker. (Getty Images)
Jones said the Menendez brothers are "getting peculiar attraction by the media and the Democrat leadership, who are truly retired of interaction with mundane Californians."
"Look, promoting this and pushing this thought is opening a Pandora's container for 1,600 different peculiar condition murderers that are successful situation close now, and I conscionable can't enactment moving successful a absorption that allows truthful galore of those radical retired connected parole," Jones said.
"I would reason if (the Menendez brothers) are genuinely rehabilitated, which I person immoderate doubts astir that, but if they are, past possibly the champion spot for them is successful prison, wherever they tin mentor and assistance different radical that are coming into the situation strategy to get their lives turned astir too."
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Jones added that releasing Erik and Lyle Menendez is not a hazard helium is consenting to get behind.
"As a society, bash we privation to truly instrumentality the hazard of letting these 2 retired oregon immoderate of the different 1,600 peculiar condition murders that we don't cognize by sanction but are successful situation for the aforesaid sentence? Do we truly privation to rotation the dice and instrumentality the hazard of allowing these radical retired and having the accidental for immoderate much victims successful California? And I deliberation the reply is simply a resounding no," Jones said.
Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is simply a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, nationalist transgression cases, amerciable immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas tin beryllium sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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