Los Angeles (CNN) — Nathan Hochman, who defeated incumbent George Gascón in Tuesday’s election to become the next Los Angeles County district attorney, told CNN he could ask to delay a hearing to have Erik and Lyle Menéndez resentful almost 30 years after his convictions for murdering his parents.

“Before I can make a decision about the Menendez brothers’ case, I will need to become fully familiar with the relevant facts, evidence and the law,” Hochman said in a statement.

“I will have to review the confidential files of each brother, the transcripts of both trials and speak with prosecutors, authorities, defense attorneys and relatives of the victims.”

The statement concludes: “If for any reason I need additional time, I will ask the court.”

Hochman is expected to take office on December 2, and the hearing to determine the request made by his predecessor is currently scheduled for December 11, giving Hochman just nine days to review the case from within his new office. office.

In an interview with CNN, Hochman said he would act as “quickly” as possible to review the case.

“If I ask for a delay, it will not be a delay for the sake of delay because I believe that the Menendez brothers, the victims, the family members and the public deserve a decision to be made as soon as it can be made comprehensively. Hochman told CNN on Wednesday.

Gascón made the request last month to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez from life in prison without parole to life in prison with parole for the 1989 murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. Under California law, the brothers would be immediately eligible for parole because they were under 26 when they committed the crimes.

Gascón cited new evidence of years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of his father, the support of all but one of his relatives and behavior that demonstrates rehabilitation during his nearly three decades in prison.

“I believe they have paid their debt to society and the system provides a vehicle for their case to be reviewed by a parole board, and if the board agrees with my assessment… they will be released accordingly,” Gascón said in a October 24 press release. conference.

A new sentence is not the only way for the brothers to be freed. Gascón also last week wrote letters to Gov. Gavin Newson supporting the brothers in a bid to obtain clemency, which could free them immediately, possibly before Hochman’s term as district attorney begins. Newsom’s office declined to comment, saying the pardon requests were confidential. A lawyer for the brothers has not confirmed to CNN whether they have filed a formal request for clemency.

The reexamination of the case comes more than 35 years after José and Kitty Menéndez were shot to death in their Beverly Hills mansion. His sons, who were 21 and 18 at the time, were arrested less than a year later in 1990 and convicted of first-degree murder in 1996.

In their two high-profile trials, the brothers did not deny killing their parents, but argued that they should not be convicted because they acted in self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse from their father. The first trial, one of the first televised cases, ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on the charges. At their second trial, much of the defense’s evidence of sexual abuse was excluded and the brothers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The brothers’ story has taken on new interest following the September release of the Netflix series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. Netflix also released a documentary about the Menendez case last month, in which both men discuss what led to the murders.

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