In recent court documents, two Los Angeles County prosecutors said they were demoted and subjected to reprisals for having backed Erik and Lyle Menendez’s punishment.
On Monday, prosecutors Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford filed government claims, claiming that they were moved out of the resentencing unit of the district attorney’s office because they assisted the brothers with their resentencing and because of their alleged political affiliation with former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc.
Theberge’s complaint also stated that she was treated unfairly because of her gender and age. According to her petition, office leadership undermined her authority and professional status by treating her differently from their younger, male coworkers.
Theberge and Lunsford had both backed the resentencing of Eric and Lyle Menendez and had started going to meetings for the resentencing motion in October 2024.
After being found guilty in 1989 of killing their parents, the Menendez brothers received a life sentence without the possibility of release in 1996. They are still detained at a prison in California.
A memo outlining the legal and procedural foundation for the brothers’ resentencing was co-authored by the prosecution.
According to her submission, the new leadership in the District Attorney’s Office opposed Theberge’s viewpoint, which was based only on her understanding of the law.
In her filing, she states that the District Attorney’s Office moved her to the Alternative Public Defender’s Office on December 19 after she wrote internal and external reports stating that it would be illegal to oppose the brothers’ resentencing. According to the complaint, she was clearly demoted to the bottom of the organizational ladder in her new position.
According to his affidavit, Lunsford lost all supervisory duties after Hochman was elected DA in November. According to the lawsuit, he was relocated on December 14 to the Norwalk Courthouse’s Department T as a calendar attorney, a role he had held for years before with no prospects for advancement.
According to their pleadings, they were subjected to reprisal, partly because Nathan Hochman, the current district attorney, thought they backed Gasc, his predecessor and political rival. Both had publicly backed George Gascon for the position of district attorney and for reelection.
The assertions made by the government in the files are preliminary to lawsuits. Each seeks more than $250,000 in economic damages and more than $5 million in non-economic damages.
Their lawyer, Justin Shegerian, told NBC Los Angeles that Nancy and Brock are dedicated public servants and successful lawyers who adhered to the law and felt compelled to support the Menendez brothers’ resentencing.
Regarding this issue, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office informed NBC News that it has nothing to say.
Last year, two Hollywood productions—the Netflix documentary The Menendez Brothers and the crime series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story—re-captivated the public with the Menendez brothers’ case.
Last month, Hochman stated that he has not yet decided whether to lower the brothers’ prison terms. He stated he was still going through a lot of prison and court records.
The brothers’ attorneys have requested that their sentences be lowered from 50 years to life, which would instantly qualify them for parole. Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Gasc has supported this request.
In the end, a court will decide if the brothers’ sentences should be shortened.