Menendez brothers court hearing set for Monday, seats to be distributed to the public by 'lottery'
VAN NUYS, LOS ANGELES -- A hearing is scheduled to be held Monday in the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989, and 16 seats in the Los Angeles courtroom will individually be made available to the the public via a lottery system, officials said.
The status hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. at the Van Nuys Courthouse West at 14400 Erwin Street, with Judge Michael Jesic, presiding, according to a Thursday news release.
The L.A. County Superior Court will conduct a lottery for the public seats from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Signage designating the section for the lottery will be displayed, and the tickets will be handed out from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
"All approvals for courtroom seating for the media have been distributed by the Court's Communications Office," the statement said. "No further requests for courtroom media seating will be accepted."
Lottery winners will be issued badges which must be worn at all times in the courthouse, and the tickets are non-transferable, officials said.
No photography, video or recording is allowed in any courtroom or courthouse hallway or lobby.
The Menendez brothers were originally sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez.
They were tried twice for their parents' murders, with the first trial ending in a hung jury. The brothers said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father's longtime sexual molestation of Erik Menendez. Prosecutors argued that they killed their parents for financial gain and contended that no such abuse occurred.
The brothers' extended family has pleaded for their release. Several family members have said that in today's world - which is more aware of the impact of sexual abuse - the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Their attorney first filed a petition for their case to be reexamined in May 2023.
Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he won't make a clemency decision on the murder convictions until newly elected L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman reviews the nearly 35-year-old case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
