Menendez Brothers Case: Court Hearing for Lyle and Erik Menendez Delayed Due to Brothers’ Efforts for Release

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A previously scheduled court hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez that was initially set for later this month has been postponed.

The two-day hearing had been expected to be held on March 20 and 21. A new date was not immediately announced.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state parole board to investigate whether the brothers would pose a risk to the public if they are released after nearly three decades in prison for the 1989 killing of their parents.

On Tuesday, Lyle Menendez wrote on social media: “The resentencing hearing set for this month will not occur. Everyone involved recognizes the importance of waiting for the results of the Risk Assessment, as initiated by Governor Newsom.

“Hang tight, keep the faith,” Lyle Menendez added.

The brothers are pursuing multiple avenues to win their freedom: Clemency from Newsom, a resentencing hearing, and a new trial. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said last month that he opposes a new trial for the brothers, but he hasn’t made up his mind on whether to support a resentencing bid that could lead to their freedom. Newsom has said he will not make a clemency decision until Hochman finishes reviewing the case.

The proposed resentencing for the brothers would make them immediately eligible for parole.

The brothers were found guilty in the murders of their entertainment executive father, Jose, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They began their latest bid for freedom in recent years after their attorneys said new evidence of their father’s sexual abuse emerged, and they have the support of most of their extended family.

Hochman said he has filed an informal response urging the Los Angeles County Superior Court to reject a habeas petition filed by the brothers’ attorneys in 2023 that seeks a reexamination of their case that centers in part on the allegations that Jose Menendez sexually abused Erik Menendez.