The Leonard Files

An odd side-story to the recovery from the Palisades and Eaton Fires: the LAPD has been collecting and cataloging hundreds of guns found in the ashes of burned homes. They’re trying to make sure government records show guns burned up in the fire are listed as destroyed, or returned to the legal owners.   Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover the investigations from...

Defense lawyers for the Menendez brothers have filed a request with the court to remove the LA County District Attorney from the case. Not just the prosecutors in the courtroom — but the entire DA’s office, based on the idea that the elected District Attorney is so biased against them that the proceeding cannot be fair.   Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover the i...

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 th...

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 l...

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 belie...

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 Jo...

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 graphi...

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 moments. Subscribe...

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 resentenc...

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 the investigations from...

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 the investigations from som...

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...

Rick Caruso says the City isn’t moving fast enough, and says with or without official approval — he’s trying to solve the problems facing fire victims. From organizing wholesale purchases of construction supplies to developing engineering plans for underground power lines, Caruso says he’s committed to rebuilding faster than many expected.   Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us...

Paradise, California says it’s making progress restoring the town that was wiped-out in the 2018 Camp Fire, but the mayor, who visited Altadena this week, says it could take 20 years to fully rebuild. Also, LA’s City Attorney sues alleged price-gouging landlords, and LA Mayor Karen Bass’ text messages from January 7 were ‘re-discovered’ by her office.   Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files –...

The City of LA has struggled to nab thousands of drivers who cause hit and run collisions each year. Although the number of serious hit and runs declined in early 2025, including those that caused deaths, data from the LAPD shows fewer than 2% of hit and run reports lead to arrests.   Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover the investigations from some of LA’s most c...

Hundreds of Pacific Palisades fire victims have joined lawsuits against the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power. The cases, in general, seek to blame the DWP for the failure of the water system and the resulting loss of their homes and businesses. One case makes a new accusation — that there were multiple sources of ignition during the Palisades Fire.   Thanks for listening t...

How will the city of Los Angeles stay afloat in 2025? Amid a massive budget deficit, the city is considering layoffs, spending millions on fire recovery and planning to spend even more money rebuilding the Los Angeles Fire Department after years of under-funding its infrastructure.   Thanks for listening to The Leonard Files – Stay with us as we uncover the investigations from some of LA’s most ch...

LAPD officers were involved in more vehicle pursuits in 2024 than anytime in recent years, and with them, so have the number of innocent motorists and pedestrians injured by accidents caused by the pursuits. The LAPD and its Board of Police Commissioners has been mulling over the data for years, considering adding more restrictions on when officers are allowed to chase suspected criminals.   Thank...

Palisades Fire victims are being urged to make decisions about debris cleanup ASAP, and attorney Mike Artinian, of the law firm BRIDGFORD, GLEASON & ARTINIAN, discusses why new court-approved inspections of the electrical equipment in Eaton Canyon may reveal new evidence of the cause of the Eaton Fire. Artinian represents the lead plaintiff, a fire victim, in the now-consolidated lawsuits that say...

Federal prosecutors say an alleged leader of a multi-generational gang in South Los Angeles ran a “mafia-like” organization that was tied to a variety of crimes. A criminal complaint made public this week accused Eugene Henley, Jr., known as “Big U,” redirected hundreds of thousands of dollars out of his non-profit groups — and into his personal bank accounts. Henley, Jr. denies it, and surrendere...

Why weren't those high-voltage transmission lines switched-off — on the night of the Eaton Fire? The frequency of wind speed measurements in Eaton Canyon may have played a role in Southern California Edison's decision -not- to de-energize high voltage transmission lines on the night the Eaton Fire ignited. A state agency had suggested minute-by-minute monitoring, so utility operators could determi...

The investigation into the cause of the Eaton Fire is circling-in on the possibility an unused, or "decommissioned," power line in the Angeles National Forest, might have become momentarily energized during the high winds on the night the fire ignited. Clues from cell phone and security video, along with official statements from Southern California Edison, seem to raise the possibility. We talk wi...

How much is an empty lot worth following the Eaton Fire, that leveled neighborhoods in Altadena. Real estate agent Jim Tripodes, who’s served Altadena and Pasadena for decades, was among the first to assist fire victims with selling their properties. He discusses the decisions his clients have made, how he began to establish the value of land, and why he thinks those with the time and means to reb...

One of the latest lawsuits filed against Southern California Edison was brought by the family of a man who died in the Eaton Fire. The Nickerson family has generations of ties to Altadena and Southern California. Also, a key deadline is approaching for fire victims to decide how they plan to clear the debris from their properties, and an insurance expert discusses how fire victims can resolve disp...

Criminal charges have been brought in 3 cases of fire relief fraud, federal prosecutors announced in LA on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, LA County officials say they’re waiting for the results of an outside report before placing blame — on who failed to send out evacuation alerts as the Eaton Fire burned through neighborhoods, and an Altadena council woman says she’s hopeful her neighborhood can reco...