The Menendez brothers‘ family has a lot of hope after Governor Gavin Newsom spoke about the brothers’ case … though they’re still disappointed after L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman‘s recent comments on Erik and Lyle‘s case.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition — a group led by Menendez family members pushing for their release — held a virtual press conference Thursday where they addressed key facts about Erik and Lyle’s case and responded to statements made by L.A.’s top prosecutor.

Anamaria Baralt — Erik and Lyle’s cousin — kicked off the comments … saying Governor Newsom calling on the Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a “risk assessment investigation” is a huge sigh of relief for the family, which is excited to hear someone in power is paying attention to Erik and Lyle’s plight.

Last week, D.A. Hochman said the Menendez brothers’ alleged sexual abuse and two pieces of new evidence — the letter Erik wrote to his cousin detailing the alleged abuse and testimony by a member of the band Menudo claiming he was also abused by Jose — does not mean Erik and Lyle deserve a new trial.

Goodell and Baralt also hit back at Hochman’s criticism of the letter Erik sent to his cousin Andy Cano … saying it would be litigated fully in court — but, people need to remember Andy was a kid when he received the letter, and he might not have known what to do with it.

Erik & Lyle’s cousin Tamara Goodell said the family’s relationship with former District Attorney George Gascón was much different than the one they have with Hochman … and called not hearing about the positive contribution the Menendez brothers have made in the prison system from D.A. Hochman incredibly disheartening. Baralt said it was incredibly hurtful because they spoke to Hochman just weeks ago about their generational trauma.

We spoke with the D.A. earlier this week on “TMZ Live” … and, he acknowledged that evidence of the alleged abuse could be taken into consideration by a judge at the resentencing hearing next month — it just doesn’t change anything on his end.

He also says he listened to snippets of our “2 Angry Men” podcast where Harvey Levin and the brothers’ lawyer Mark Geragos talked at length with Erik and Lyle. Hochman says his team will review the show in full in the coming weeks.

BTW … this isn’t the first time the Menendez fam has fired off at the D.A.’s comments. In the immediate aftermath of Hochman’s press conference, the family released a statement accusing Hochman of silencing survivors of sexual abuse.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition was formed late last year to advocate for the release of the brothers … despite the fact that their two victims — Jose and Kitty Menendez — were obviously also members of the family.

It’ll be a while before we get the full story on Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy, and their dog’s suspicious deaths — ’cause TMZ has learned that even with the initial autopsy, the final report will take a few more weeks.

Sources tell TMZ that after the autopsy is done by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, it’ll take 4 to 6 weeks for toxicology and other tests to come through before the final report is issued.

Authorities have been super puzzled over their deaths — making a note of how Gene’s front door to his NM property was open when they entered for the search warrant of their house.

What’s more, the heater was right next to her corpse, and the pills were scattered nearby. Police say Gene was found in a separate room.

The deceased German Shepherd was found 10 to 15 feet from Betsy, while two other dogs were found alive and healthy — one inside the house and the other outside.

The fire department checked the scene and said they didn’t find any signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.

Can you guess which Hollywood hottie put her firm buns on display in this eye-popping sexy workout shot?

When this fitness influencer isn’t stealin’ the show in the gym with her toned booty, you can catch her spinnin’ some discs and turnin’ up the party!