A lottery will be held on Monday morning for members of the public who want to get one of the few seats at the Menendez brothers’ hearing at the Van Nuys courthouse.
The hearing for the brothers will begin at 10:30 a.m.
KNX News’ Jon Baird reported that people who show up between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. will be given a ticket and a drawing will be held for those wanting one of the 16 seats available to the public inside the courthouse.
Around 7:30 a.m., Baird reported seeing about 15 people in line.
One woman in line told Baird she had to be there.
“Well, it's history…the Menendez brothers, I grew up listening to [the trial],” she said. “I think it's a little part of history to see the turnaround.”
Nick, one of the people in line, told Baird he went to high school with Erik Menendez and wanted to show support.
“I think that they should have been released a while back, but you know, it takes time,” he said. “And I think that at the end, as a society, it's lessons learned, you know that it is OK to talk about abuse.”
Erik and Lyle Menendez will not be inside the court for the hearing. They will be appearing virtually.
During Monday’s hearing, attorneys representing the brothers are expected to ask the judge to reconsider the brothers’ convictions. The brothers were convicted of the 1989 deaths of their parents, Kitty and José, in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On Oct. 24, current D.A. George Gascón announced his office would recommend that a judge resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez; however, Gascón was defeated by Nathan Hochman in the race for D.A.
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Hochman previously told KNX News that he will study the case in detail after he takes office on Dec. 3.
“I'll speak to the prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel. I'll speak to the victim's family members, review the voluminous exhibits, and only at that point be in a position to not only determine what the appropriate position is, but then defend it in court,” he said.
Another hearing for the brothers will be held on Dec. 11.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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