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New Menendez brothers prosecutor slams 'meritless' conflict claim in push to take case out of Los Angeles

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New Menendez brothers prosecutor slams 'meritless' conflict claim in push to take case out of Los Angeles

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New Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s office is pushing back against a “meritless” claim of a potential conflict of interest in the Menendez brothers’ case amid reports that their relatives are looking to have their potential resentencing handled by the state attorney general’s office instead of county prosecutors.

“The conflict of interest issue, raised to the media first before it was raised to the District Attorney’s Office, is meritless,” a DA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “All Menendez victim family members who want the opportunity to personally speak with the District Attorney before any final decisions are made have been invited to do so and these discussions should be completed in the coming weeks.”

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Hochman’s predecessor, former DA George Gascon, had allegedly met only with relatives who supported the brothers’ freedom and not their 90-year-old uncle, Milton Andersen. He has opposed any leniency for his nephews, who were convicted of shotgunning their parents, who were Andersen’s sister and brother-in-law, in their Beverly Hills living room in the late 1980s.

MENENDEZ BROTHERS RESENTENCING PUSHED BACK, JUDGE EYES LATE JANUARY

Lyle Menendez, left, and his brother, Erik (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Erik and Joseph “Lyle” Menendez snuck up behind their parents, Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez, and opened fire on Aug. 20, 1989. The brothers went on a $700,000 spending spree as investigators initially suspected a mob hit, but they were eventually arrested.

Their first trial ended with a hung jury, and they were later convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole – a punishment they are hoping to have reduced under California’s new resentencing law.

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Andersen and Kitty’s sister, Joan Andersen VanderMolen, 92, is among two dozen other relatives who support freedom for the brothers. There has also been public support for their release after a series of documentaries explored their claims of child abuse at the hands of their father, a former RCA Records executive.

WATCH ON FOX NATION: MENENDEZ BROTHERS: VICTIMS OR VILLAINS?

Erik Menendez, left and his brother Lyle listen during a pre-trial hearing on Dec. 29, 1992, in Los Angeles (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)

Their attorney also says new evidence bolsters their case: Roy Rosello, a member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, came forward with his own allegations of abuse against Jose Menendez last year. And a letter, purportedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, Andy Cano, eight months before the murders, could support some of the latter’s trial testimony about Jose Menendez. Cano died in 2003, and the letter’s authenticity has been called into question in court filings.

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Andersen VanderMolen’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, plans to ask for their potential resentencing to be transferred to the California Attorney General’s Office after a supportive Los Angeles district attorney lost his re-election bid, according to ABC News. 

Joan Andersen VanderMolen, sister of Kitty Menendez, looks on as family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez hold a press conference in Los Angeles on Oct. 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

In the final weeks of his term, Gascon pushed for a resentencing that could have led to the brothers’ freedom under a new California law. But he lost in a landslide to Hochman, an independent, who said he would fully review the facts of each brother’s case before taking a stance.

Freedman is claiming there is a conflict of interest because Andersen’s former attorney, Kathleen Cady, has taken a job in Hochman’s office, according to the ABC report.

LYLE MENENDEZ, WHO SHOTGUNNED PARENTS TO DEATH WITH BROTHER, PLANS FOR LIFE AFTER PRISON

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Cady, who spent decades as a deputy district attorney before becoming a victims’ rights advocate, will become director of the LA County DA’s Bureau of Victim Services on Jan. 6. She declined to comment, citing her new role. She no longer represents Andersen.

An undated photo of the Menendez family is shown onscreen during a panel at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Tenn. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

The brothers claimed self-defense, arguing they killed their father because they were afraid he would kill them if they planned to expose him as a child molester.

But they also unloaded so many shells into their mother that they had to go outside and get more before finishing her off as she tried to crawl to safety.

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Exterior of the Menendez brothers’ former mansion in 1989 (Clark Fogg, retired Beverly Hills Police Department forensic specialist)

THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS: MONSTERS OR MISUNDERSTOOD?

Andersen vehemently opposed the idea of reducing their sentences and said in a statement to Fox News Digital this year that he does not believe the brothers’ claims of sexual abuse at the hands of their father.

“Mr. Andersen loved his sister deeply and mourns her every day,” his new attorney, R.J. Dreiling, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “He appreciates that the new DA seems genuinely committed to reviewing all the evidence, listening to everyone impacted by his sister’s murder, and ensuring justice is served.”

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A separate habeas corpus petition is making its way through the court, which would be an additional path to freedom for the brothers if successful. That petition relies on the Cano letter and Rosello’s allegations.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also declined to grant a clemency petition for the brothers – at least for now – stating he would defer to Hochman’s pending review of the case before making a decision.



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West

LA deputies caught on camera racing into foggy ocean to rescue disoriented paragliders

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LA deputies caught on camera racing into foggy ocean to rescue disoriented paragliders

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Two Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies were caught on camera rescuing two paragliders from drowning on Friday after they fell in the fog-covered ocean near Malibu.

Bodycan footage from one of the deputies showed them racing into action after responding to a call of two victims in distress, with authorities yelling to the paragliders to “Hang on!”

“Without hesitation and fully aware of the danger, LA County Sheriff’s Department Deputies Matkin and Grigoryan removed their department-issued gear and jumped in the water,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. 

The deputies swam out roughly 75 feet to a man and woman whose feet had become entangled in their heavy safety equipment that was pulling them down, which the deputies were able to cut off with their knives. 

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Two Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies rescued two paragliders from drowning on Friday after they fell in the ocean near Malibu, Calif. (FOX 11)

Deputy Christopher Matkin called the rescue “tense,” explaining that the frantic paragliders kept pulling them under in their panic.

“We were able to calm them down,” he added at a press conference.

Deputy Sevak Grigoryan said that they didn’t have much time to think.

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LA County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Sevak Grigoryan discusses the rescue he and a fellow officer made off a beach in Malibu. (FOX 11)

NYPD OFFICER LEAPS INTO FREEZING RIVER TO SAVE TEENAGE GIRL FROM DROWNING

“It was just, ‘We gotta act and we gotta to act now,” he said. 

The department said the paragliders’ ill-fated trip likely happened as they descended and ran into the ocean’s fog bank.

“And that’s where it appears they became disoriented and crashed into the ocean,” a third deputy said.

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Deputy Christopher Matkin called the rescue “tense.”  (FOX 11)

Both paragliders are expected to fully recover.

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“This rescue demonstrates the courage, quick thinking, and selfless dedication of LASD deputies, who routinely place themselves in harm’s way to protect and save lives,” the department said. 

“Deputies Matkin and Grigoryan’s decisive actions under dangerous conditions exemplify the Sheriff’s Department’s commitment to public safety and service to the community.” 

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San Francisco, CA

Power outage affects 20,000 households in San Francisco

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Power outage affects 20,000 households in San Francisco


A large power outage left almost 40,000 PG&E customers without electricity in San Francisco Saturday, according to the company.

The PG&E Outage Center first reported the outage was affecting 24,842 customers, but a few minutes later, PG&E told NBC Bay Area the outage was affecting 39,520 households in the areas of Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, Golden Gate Park and parts of downtown.

Officials warned traffic lights in these areas might be impacted and advise that if the traffic signal has gone dark, to treat it as a four-way stop.

According to the website, the outage was first reported at 10:10 a.m. and is expected to be restored at around 3:40 p.m., but PG&E told NBC Bay Area the outage started at around 1:10 p.m. and the estimated time of restoration is unknown.

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This is a developing story. Details may change as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for updates.



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Denver, CO

Sacrificing Convenience for Safety Is the Right Thing to Do

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Sacrificing Convenience for Safety Is the Right Thing to Do


Are bicyclists safe on the streerts of Denver?

Lauren Antonoff

More than halfway into his first term, Mayor Mike Johnston finally met with his own Bicycle Advisory Committee and reiterated a familiar promise: Denver can increase road safety without taking any convenience away from drivers. “We want this to be a city where it is safe and easy to get around by bike or by foot,” Johnston told Westword after the meeting. “We want to build infrastructure and a culture that makes that easier, and we think we can do that without making it more difficult for drivers.”

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The mayor is wrong. If Denver is serious about making our streets safer for everyone — people driving as well as people walking, biking, rolling or taking transit — then we have to be honest about what that requires. Real safety improvements will sometimes mean slowing cars down, reallocating space or asking drivers to take a slightly longer route. In other words, we must be willing to trade a bit of convenience for a lot of safety.

We already make this trade-off all the time. Parking in front of the fire hydrant across from my house would be extremely convenient, but I don’t do it because it would put my neighbors at risk if a fire broke out. I don’t enjoy going through security screening every time I attend a Denver City Council meeting, but I accept it because it keeps a critical public forum safe. These small inconveniences are simply part of living in a community where everyone’s well-being matters.

So why is the idea of asking drivers to accept minimal inconvenience — a few extra minutes, a block or two of walking from their parking spot to their final destination — treated as politically impossible, even when it could prevent deaths and life-altering injuries?

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At Westword, we’re small and scrappy — and we make the most of every dollar from our supporters. Right now, we’re $20,000 away from reaching our December 31 goal of $50,000. If you’ve ever learned something new, stayed informed, or felt more connected because of Westword, now’s the time to give back.

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Denver committed to Vision Zero nearly a decade ago, pledging to eliminate traffic fatalities. Yet year after year, the death toll remains stubbornly high, topping eighty lives lost annually since the pandemic. The reason is not mysterious: City leaders have consistently prioritized driver convenience over safety, even as people continue to die on our streets.

For generations, Denver’s street designs have catered not just to driving, but to driving dangerously. The majority of streets on the city’s High Injury Network — just 5 percent of streets where half of all traffic deaths occur — are major arterials like Colfax, Federal, Colorado, Speer and Alameda. These corridors are engineered to move as many vehicles as quickly as possible. People walking and biking are left to navigate speeding traffic with minimal protection, crossing up to eight lanes just to reach the other side.

We know what works. The data is unequivocal: On streets like these, the most effective safety improvements reduce the space available for fast-moving vehicles. Road diets, narrower lanes, shorter crossings and dedicated space for sidewalks, bike lanes and bus lanes all make streets safer for everyone — including drivers — by bringing speeds down to survivable levels.

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And yet, Mayor Johnston’s recent decision to abandon the planned road diet on Alameda Avenue is only the latest example of the city retreating from proven safety measures because they might inconvenience drivers. The city noted that its revised plan for Alameda would save drivers an extra sixty seconds of driving time, compared to the original road diet.

The mayor must confront a hard truth: We cannot keep people safe without changing the status quo, and the status quo is built on prioritizing speed and convenience over human life. Denver cannot have it both ways.

So the real question for Mayor Johnston is this: How many lives is Denver willing to sacrifice to preserve driver convenience?

So far in 2025, we have lost 87 people — and counting.

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