A judge in Los Angeles has delayed the resentencing hearing for Lyle and Erik Menendez, the siblings currently serving life sentences for the murder of their parents in 1989.
A motions hearing is set for May 9 to address arguments regarding the admissibility of a state parole board risk-assessment report.
The resentencing hearing, which Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman opposes, could potentially make the brothers eligible for parole and lead to their release after 35 years behind bars.
The brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos, informed reporters outside the courthouse that he intends to file a motion seeking to remove Hochman from the proceedings.
This recusal motion will also be discussed on May 9.
The Menendez brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder in 1996 and received life sentences without the possibility of parole for the shooting deaths of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills residence on August 20, 1989.
The case drew widespread attention in the 1990s due to the brothers’ affluent background as the sons of a record company and entertainment industry executive.
At the time of the murders, Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 years old.
During their trials in the 1990s, prosecutors alleged that the brothers killed Jose and Kitty Menendez to gain access to a $14 million inheritance.
Initially, they attributed the deaths to a Mafia hit, providing five different explanations over time.
However, during the trial, they claimed their actions were in self-defense, asserting that they struck first to prevent their abusive and controlling father from killing them after enduring years of emotional and sexual abuse.
The brothers’ original trials were major news events, and renewed interest in the case surged last year with the release of the Netflix series ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’.
