Cousins of Erik and Lyle Menendez said Thursday they are “grateful” to Gov. Gavin Newsom and “thrilled” that he asked the state parole board for a risk assessment, as he considers whether to grant the brothers clemency.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced a risk assessment of Lyle and Erik Menendez to determine whether the convicted murderers “pose a current, unreasonable risk to public safety.” Risk assessments are conducted by public safety experts and forensic psychologists.