The Leonard Files

The giant drinking water reservoir in the Pacific Palisades highlands, that many Palisades fire victims believe could have supplied enough water to save their homes had it been filled in January, had to be drained again this month. Repairs to tears in its protective cover were made in March, 2025, but more leaks were found as the Santa Ynez Reservoir was refilled in the last weeks. The DWP says the next round of repairs should be quick and the reservoir back in service in May. Still unclear — is whether a full reservoir could have changed the outcome on January 7, when 3 smaller high-elevation supply tanks ran dry, and pumps could not refill them fast enough to supply water as the fire burned into the night. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

the investigations from some of LA’s most challenging and intriguing

moments. Subscribe now so you don’t miss the next episode of The Leonard

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The Menendez brothers’ efforts to have their life-without-parole sentences reduced has been derailed again, this time because of new risk assessment reports produced by the state, and the brothers’ new demand that the LA County District Attorney’s Office be removed from the case for bias. Now the resentencing is temporarily off the table while the judge considers these legal issues. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

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Deputy District Attorney Brock Lunsford considers what’s happened in the months since he and a former colleague authored the recommendation — that Erik and Lyle Menendez should receive a resentencing hearing that brings the possibility of a reduced prison term and release on parole. Lunsford says he was transferred out of the resentencing unit when the new LA County DA took over, and says he believes the transfer was retaliatory. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

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With roughly 8735 officers on its roster — the LAPD is far smaller than it was a few years ago, and its struggling to recruit and train enough new officers to reach the City’s target of a 9,300 officer-force. The Department has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new online ad campaign, aimed at the ‘smartphone generation,’ but will it produce the results the City needs? City Councilman John Lee joins the pod to discuss. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

the investigations from some of LA’s most challenging and intriguing

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Now that a judge has denied the LA County District Attorney’s request to stop the resentencing proceedings for Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers will get to make their case this week - that they’re deserving of a reduced sentence, and in all likelihood, release from prison. The DA still says he’s opposed to their release, and apologized for his deputy showing in court, without warning, a graphic crime scene photo that showed Jose and Kitty Menendez’s bodies after they were blasted with shotguns in the family’s living room in 1989. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

the investigations from some of LA’s most challenging and intriguing

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After a day-long hearing in Van Nuys a judge has decided that prosecutors have not provided enough of a ‘legitimate reason’ to stop the planned resentencing hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez. Hear all the detail from inside the courtroom! Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

the investigations from some of LA’s most challenging and intriguing

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The Menendez brothers’ chance for resentencing - and potential release from prison on parole — could hinge on a 2023 state appeals court ruling, that limits when a newly-elected District Attorney can change course in court. A judge wil consider whether to allow LA County DA Nathan Hochman to withdraw the resentencing motion first filed under form DA George Gascon, and, if so, whether the resentencing should happen anyway. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

the investigations from some of LA’s most challenging and intriguing

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The family of 13-year-old Oscar “Omar” Hernandez wants to know why a soccer coach — now charged with murdering the boy — wasn’t prosecuted before the murder? Two other teens accused the coach of sexual assaults, one in 2022 and another in 2024, but no charges were filed in those cases until last week. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

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LA prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against a soccer coach — now accused of murdering a 13-year-old boy. Oscar Omar Hernandez vanished after he went to visit the coach March 28, and now authorities say they fear there are other children and teens who’ve been victimized by the same man. Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

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The California Supreme Court has reversed the conviction and death sentence of Timothy McGhee, the one-time leader of a violent street gang in Atwater Village. The justices found a juror was improperly dismissed from the trial in 2007 after other jurors made complaints about the juror’s statements during deliberations. Could this mean a new trial? Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover

the investigations from some of LA’s most challenging and intriguing

moments. Subscribe now so you don’t miss the next episode of The Leonard

Files.

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