Family of Menendez brothers reject prosecutor criticism and lead rally for their release

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez on Thursday rejected claims by the Los Angeles district attorney that the brothers hadn't appropriately taken responsibility for the 1989 killing of their parents and said that any lies they told during their murder trial were due to trauma and fear.

“Kids lie when they’re scared, when they feel intimidated, and when they become traumatized. They lie when they don’t know who to trust. But they grow up, they learn, and they take responsibility,” said Tamara Goodell, a cousin of the brothers who spoke Thursday at a rally calling for the brothers' release from prison.

The family's rally was supposed to coincide with a resentencing hearing for the brothers that could result in them being immediately eligible for parole after 35 years behind bars. It was postponed to April after Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced his office was withdrawing the resentencing motion previously submitted by his predecessor, George Gascón. While it is possible for the judge to proceed without the district attorney’s support, legal experts say the brothers’ chances of success have diminished tremendously.

The brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, were convicted of murdering their mother, Kitty Menendez, and their entertainment executive father, Jose, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They began their latest bid for freedom in recent years after their attorneys said new evidence emerged about their father’s sexual abuse. The brothers had the support of most of their extended family.

Hochman said he doesn't support resentencing at this time because the brothers have failed to take “complete responsibility” for the lies they told as the case unfolded, including their original claim that they did not kill their parents and, later, that they acted in self-defense. Hochman has also cast doubt on new evidence of sexual abuse.

“They have lied to everyone for the last 30 years,” Hochman said in a news conference last week.

Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers, said they have already taken responsibility and acknowledged their mistakes. The family has no intention on changing their position, and Baralt said she hopes the brothers don’t as well.

“We won’t let him rewrite history,” she said of Hochman. “That would be pandering to his truth.”

Their remaining pathways to freedom include being granted clemency by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, or a habeas corpus petition for a new trial their attorneys submitted for court consideration in May 2023. Hochman also opposes the habeas petition.

The high-profile murder in the Menendez family's Beverly Hills home shocked the nation and drew extensive media coverage. It was a precursor to the O.J. Simpson case and spurred countless shows, books, and documentaries in the decades following.

Around 50 supporters of the Menendez brothers marched with signs around the downtown criminal justice center, chanting, “What do we believe in? Second chances!” The news conference and rally also drew the support of criminal justice organizations such as the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and Latino Justice.

“We should not throw people away,” said Michael Mendoza, criminal justice director for Latino Justice, who met Lyle Menendez when he was serving time in state prison. “We should not give up on our young people.”

Four women traveled from Texas, Oregon, Florida, and Missouri to attend the rally. They learned about the case through TikTok influencer Carrie Webster, who has built a relatively small but dedicated following on the platform through her videos speaking on current events and criminal justice topics.

One of them, Meghan Trimarchi, wore a Menendez brothers shirt she bought online. Trimarchi planned her trip to Los Angeles from Oregon to attend the resentencing hearing that was postponed.

“I believe in justice for all victims of sexual assault,” said Trimarchi, 35. “They all need to have a voice.”

Another Webster follower who attended the rally was 68-year-old Patrick Burke of Sherman Oaks, California. He remembers when the murders happened because he had just moved to Los Angeles. Burke became passionate about the case after watching footage of the entire first trial during the pandemic and came to the rally to “show support for the brothers and also all abuse victims.”

“To me, it's like the Me Too movement,” he said. Survivors of sexual assault weren't believed, and “that's why the Menendez brothers didn't come out initially.”

Supporters hold signs during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Supporters hold signs during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Supporters hold signs during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A supporter holds a sign during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Family members and supporters stand together during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Anamaria Baralt, cousin of Erik and Lyle Menendez, speaks during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Anamaria Baralt, cousin of Erik and Lyle Menendez, speaks during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Supporters place signs on a fence outside of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Supporters hold signs during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Supporters hold signs during a press conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers case Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party.

As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England, lost control of several local authorities it had held for decades and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform UK gained over 1,300 seats across England and made significant gains in legislative elections in Wales and Scotland.

It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.

Here are five things we’ve learned from the elections.

Starmer insisted he would not walk away and "plunge the country into chaos,” and the dire election results did not produce an immediate challenge to his leadership.

"The right thing to do is rebuild and show the path forward,” Starmer said Saturday. “That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”

Starmer’s Cabinet colleagues expressed support, and none of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers has made a move. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are keeping quiet for now.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure this year. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Another lawmaker, Tony Vaughan, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership.”

Starmer tried to demonstrate change on Saturday by bringing back two figures from past Labour governments. He made former Prime Minister Gordon Brown a special envoy on global finance, and appointed the party's ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman an adviser on women and girls.

Starmer is due to make a speech on Monday in an attempt to regain momentum, before the government sets out its legislative plans on Wednesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

The elections were a breakthrough for Reform UK, the latest hard-right party led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage.

Running on an anti-establishment and anti-immigration message, the party won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north, such as Sunderland, that were solid Labour turf for decades. It also made gains from the Conservatives in areas like the county of Essex, east of London, and increased its vote share in Wales and Scotland, new terrain for the party.

Farage said the results marked a “historic change in British politics.” He said he's confident that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and it’s unclear whether it could repeat its success in a national election.

The elections produced semiautonomous administrations in Scotland and Wales led by parties devoted to independence and the breakup of the United Kingdom — though neither has that policy on the front burner.

The Scottish National Party, which has governed in Edinburgh since 2007, won another term but fell short of a majority, meaning an independence referendum is unlikely. Labour and Reform tied in a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) won the most seats in the Cardiff-based legislature, the Senedd. The party, which has an ambition for Wales to leave the U.K. but no plan to do so anytime soon, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform came second and Labour a distant third in one of its most historic heartlands, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

The economy lies at the heart of Labour’s troubles, as it does for many incumbent governments.

Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule roiled by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has struggled to ease the cost of living and jump-start a sluggish economy against the tough economic backdrop of war in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran. Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.

Some in Labour say the government's achievements, including protections for renters and a higher minimum wage, are going unnoticed. Many blame Starmer, an uninspiring leader distracted by scandals including his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

But Stephen Houghton, the outgoing leader of Barnsley council in northern England, where Labour lost to Reform, said the problem “goes deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he said. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to change.”

The results reflect a fragmentation of U.K. politics after decades of domination by Labour and the Conservative Party, which also suffered major losses on Thursday.

The elections offered voters a rainbow of choices, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and the nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

But the big winners were populist insurgents, Reform UK and the Green Party, whose focus has expanded from the environment to social justice and the Palestinian cause under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens won hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban centers and university towns and took control of several local authorities.

Tony Travers, professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the results suggest the next national election, due by 2029, won’t produce a majority for any party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he said — something traditionally considered “very un-British.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney with some of the newly elected SNP MSPs in Edinburgh, Saturday May 9, 2026, following the 2026 Holyrood elections. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

Observers from the Scottish National Party (SNP) watch as votes are counted for the 2026 Holyrood elections, at Dewars Centre in Perth, Scotland, Friday May 8, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks to supporters at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Friday May 8, 2026, in Essex, England, following the 2026 local election results. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at Kingsdown Methodist Church Hall, in Ealing, west London, Friday May 8, 2026, a day after the local elections. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)