Menendez brothers hearing Friday: How to get front-row seats in the courtroom

A hearing on the LA County District Attorney's Office's motion to withdraw a resentencing petition for the Menendez brothers is set for Friday, April 11 - and the court is once again offering 16 seats to the public via lottery.

What we know:

Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

The hearing was originally scheduled for March but was postponed.

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Depending on what the court decides on April 11, a resentencing hearing may be set for April 17 and 18.

State parole boards, meanwhile, will conduct separate hearings for the brothers on June 13, then send their reports to Gov. Gavin Newsom to help him decide whether they should receive clemency.

Courtroom Seats Open to Public:

The Los Angeles County Superior Court will hold a public lottery to determine who lands any of the 16 seats put aside for the public for the hearing.

Lottery tickets will be distributed from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on Friday in front of Van Nuys Courthouse West, and the lottery drawing will begin at 8:45 a.m.

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Lottery winners will be issued badges valid for the hearing that are non-transferable.

Officials said two additional standby seat tickets will be drawn and will be allocated to ticket holders if space becomes available. Standby tickets do not guarantee a seat in the courtroom.

The backstory:

Hochman's predecessor, George Gascón, had supported resentencing, but Hochman reversed course.

Last month, Hochman said he is asking the court to withdraw his predecessor's previous motion for resentencing for the Menendez brothers, calling their claims of self-defense "lies."

"We are prepared to go forward with the hearing regarding their resentencing case," he said. "However, we are asking the court to withdraw the previous district attorney's motion for resentencing, because we believe there are legitimate reasons and the interests of justice justifies that withdrawal."

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In February, Hochman expressed skepticism about the admissibility and relevance of new evidence presented by the brothers' defense attorneys, which alleges sexual abuse by their father. 

Despite opposing the request for a new trial, Hochman has not yet taken a stance on their motion for re-sentencing. 

The brothers' attorneys are seeking a sentence reduction that could make them eligible for parole or release based on time served.

About The Menendez Brothers:

Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in Beverly Hills. Their defense claimed self-defense due to years of alleged abuse, while prosecutors argued the murders were financially motivated.

In a 2023 court petition, attorneys for the brothers pointed to two new pieces of evidence they contend corroborate the brothers' allegations of long-term sexual abuse at the hands of their father -- a letter allegedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin Andy Cano in early 1989 or late 1988, eight months before the August 1989 killings, and recent allegations by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, that he too was sexually abused by Jose Menendez as a teenager.

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Interest in the case surged following the release of a recent Netflix documentary and dramatic series.

In October, then-District Attorney George Gascón recommended the brothers be resentenced to 50 years to life, which would make them immediately eligible for parole. Hochman called his predecessor’s recommendation a "desperate political move."

Relatives of the Menendez brothers have continually backed the push for them to be released.

The Source: Information for this story is from the Los Angeles Superior Court.

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