New top prosecutor Hochman to take office Tuesday
Los Angeles County District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman will officially take the reins on Tuesday, as he's set to be sworn in on the front steps of the Hall of Justice. Hochman replaces District Attorney George Gascón, who lost his reelection bid in a landslide. The former federal prosecutor Hochman told LAist that he's excited for [...]
Los Angeles County District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman will officially take the reins on Tuesday, as he's set to be sworn in on the front steps of the Hall of Justice.
Hochman replaces District Attorney George Gascón, who lost his reelection bid in a landslide.
The former federal prosecutor Hochman told LAist that he's excited for the "opportunity of a lifetime."
“I’m taking over an office that has been considered one of the premiere D.A.’s offices in the nation," he said.
Hochman takes over from the reform-minded Gascón, whose policies were criticized by Hochman and others as being "pro-criminal."
Despite his criticism, Hochman said his changes won't "replace one extreme policy with extreme policies on the other end of the pendulum swing."
"I’m not bringing back mass incarceration policies," he said.
This combination of two booking photos provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez. (California Dept. of Corrections via AP) 
FILE - Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit with defense attorney Leslie Abramson, right, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court during a hearing, Nov. 26, 1990. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File) 
Erik Menendez (L) and his brother Lyle (R) listen during a pre-trial hearing, on December 29, 1992 in Los Angeles after the two pleaded innocent in the August 1989 shotgun deaths of their wealthy parents, Jose and Mary Louise Menendez of Beverly Hills, Calif. It took 40 months for the Superior Court arraignment after prosecutors and defense attorneys battled over the admissibility of taped confessions the brothers allegedly made to their psychotherapist. (Photo by VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images) 
Erik Menendez, left, and is brother Lyle, in front of their Beverly Hills home. They are prime suspects in their parents murder. (Getty)
One of the more prominent cases that Hochman will handle soon after taking office is that of the Menendez brothers, for whom Gascón supported resentencing.
Hochman told KTLA that he plans to "do the hard work" of digging into case files and other documents to determine if his office will also support resentencing the brothers, who have been in prison for more than three decades after they murdered their parents in Beverly Hills in 1989.
“Only then can you be in a position to determine whether resentencing is the remedy in this situation or whether what is asked for in the resentencing is the appropriate request,” Hochman said.
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